Ill health retirement - really confused!

24

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  • ohreally
    ohreally Posts: 7,525 Forumite
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    naynay wrote: »
    Yes, there are a few jobs that are suitable for my skills and qualifications where my illness should not be an issue. The pay for these are far lower than my current role but with a tier 1 retirement I should be able to cope (should it be granted) and would be better for me mentally than staying at home.

    I assume your employed by a LA and your a member of the PCS. If so have you had a chat with a full time officer to run events past them?

    http://www.pcs.org.uk/department-for-work-and-pensions-group/contact-us/full-time-officers

    Would ring-fencing your current pension provision while taking a step down/ working less hours/ days be an option for you?
    Don’t be a can’t, be a can.
  • Undervalued
    Undervalued Posts: 8,851 Forumite
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    naynay wrote: »
    Should my medical evidence go to the employers or their OH?

    If it is a report written by your doctor them probably to the employer.

    If it is medical notes / records then they would only go to OH for them to interpret into "layman's terms" for the (presumably) non medically qualified employer.
  • naynay
    naynay Posts: 52 Forumite
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    OR _ I am employed by an LA but unfortunately I do not know about the 'stepping down' rules so will have to read about this. I went part time some years ago because of my illness and even though I had not taken time off with my illness (I knew physically it was getting to much for me and the doctors agreed. It showed in medicals that the condition was getting worse -obviously I felt it). The last year has been hell and in January things came to a head. So perhaps stepping down now and ring fencing my pension is too late?

    UV - the doctor has completed the pension form but his use of medical language will be difficult to those unfamiliar with the language. Even I had to look things up having had the condition for life! I think though from what you have said I am going to have to bite the bullet and send it to my employers.

    As far as the other positions are concerned can anyone offer advice as to how i can take this avenue forward?
  • ohreally
    ohreally Posts: 7,525 Forumite
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    Perhaps sangie can offer some advice as LA isn't my area and pension rules can be complex.

    I wish you well.
    Don’t be a can’t, be a can.
  • chanie
    chanie Posts: 3,317 Forumite
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    I work in HR and manage medical retirements.

    Medical retirement applications are decided by the the Pension Scheme physician, who is a DR and so they will need your medical records to assess. Whilst you don't need to submit your medical records with the application, it does speed up the process if you do. Otherwise, the DR will need to write to all of your specialists for reports and this can take a long time.

    I tell our staff that if they want to submit any documents, put them in a sealed, clearly marked envelope when they send their application to me. Maybe you should clarify this with your employer.

    occupational health will also prepare medical information, which will be submitted with your application. This will be sent your employer in a sealed envelope marked for the attention of the Pension Scheme physician. It will be sealed in such a way that if someone opens it, the physician will know. There are strict laws relating to medical records, so I suspect there will be comeback if the records were opened.
  • chanie
    chanie Posts: 3,317 Forumite
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    naynay wrote: »
    As far as the other positions are concerned can anyone offer advice as to how i can take this avenue forward?

    You will only get Tier 1 if your illness means a that you are unlikely to work between now and your pension retirement age. This would only be for the most extreme cases of I'll health.

    As alternative, your employer could look to find you work elsewhere in the organisation. If you are going for tier 1, this is normally because you are unlikely to be able to be successfully redeployed.
  • naynay
    naynay Posts: 52 Forumite
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    Chanie my problem is the employer wants my medical records. I am to send them to my line manager who will pass them onto HR who will pass them onto the area HR. They want them so they can apply for IHR for me. I have been told by the pension company and my union that I should apply for IHR which I have. I am currently waiting for one last doctor to send me his information before I send all medical documents with my forms, which also needs to be completed by my employers, not medical but absences, nature of my jobs etc.

    I have no problem sending copies of the medical evidence to their OH but I am not having my medical information going through the hands of people who do not need to see it. Can I request that I send it to the OH myself?
  • Manxman_in_exile
    Manxman_in_exile Posts: 8,380 Forumite
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    I used to work in the NHS and I'm pretty certain that you can't be eligible for early retirement on ill health grounds unless you are so ill that you cannot work at all.


    Is it different in the LA pension scheme?


    (As regards whether your employer is entitled to see your medical records, I would have thought that this must be covered by the Ts & Cs of the pension scheme. Obviously the medical advisor(s) of the pension scheme will need to know enough to know whether you are eligible for IHR, but I'm not sure your employer needs to. The procedure that chanie describes in post #16 sounds sensible to me and I would have thought most public sector pension schemes would operate something like that).
  • naynay
    naynay Posts: 52 Forumite
    First Anniversary First Post Combo Breaker
    Hi Manxman,

    I will leave the pension company to decide whether I can work. My doctors say 'no' but on days when I feel OK'ish I hate the fact that I may not work again.

    Today I contacted my employers and they have told me today that they need to apply for IHR for me. My pension company tells me this isn't the case but on telling my line manager this, he said the pension company have told me wrong and he would need my medical notes asap to send to the pension company. Unfortunately my union rep is not around until later in the week.

    Have you gone through this process MM in exil?
  • LemonSocks
    LemonSocks Posts: 293 Forumite
    First Anniversary Name Dropper First Post
    Manxman_in_exile wrote: »
    I used to work in the NHS and I'm pretty certain that you can't be eligible for early retirement on ill health grounds unless you are so ill that you cannot work at all.


    Is it different in the LA pension scheme?

    I work directly with the medical side of LA pension schemes.


    Tier 1 would only be granted if there is no reasonable prospect of being capable of undertaking any gainful employment before retirement age.


    Considering that the OP has stated that there is another job he could do then no, he wouldn't qualify for IHR under the LA pension scheme.




    Can you not ask your manager the address to send your medical information to OH/ the pension company directly?
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