Leaving work due to ill health

carleeds

Hi! Does anyone know about my rights if I have to leave work through ill health. I have a lifelong condition which will eventually lead to having to leave. My workplace are doing everything they can at the moment and have suggested an eventual move to another job is there is one suitable. I want to work for as long as possible but would also like to know that when I do stop working I will still be able to manage financially. I have a mortgage which at the moment I don't have a problem paying. I took out the mortgage before I knew about this condition. As I brought my children up by myself whilst paying the mortgage (so that I can leave them something when I'm sat up in the clouds) I would hate the thought that it has all been for nothing and I will lose my home. Help or advise Pleeeeaaaase :eek:

atrixblue.-MFR-.

occupational health assessment would be one route to take.

it best not to upstick and leave employment yourself on your own head because your ill, your employer would have to be seen to be giving you the opertunity to take other roles that could keep you in employment, if there are no other roles and you condition has deteriorated he can "release" you from your contract of employment due to ill heath.

from there you would be able to claim ESA, DLA (or P.I.P as its going to be reneamed, personal independance payment), you will have to contact your mortgage provider and then come to a agreement of paying that.

BigAunty

See the Shelter website which has info for home owners struggling to pay their mortgage and who run the risk of repossession which details some options for you and some schemes that operate to prevent repossession.

For example, there is a support for mortgage interest scheme (but this can be time limited and is limited to certain types of benefit recipients) or a scheme where a social housing landlord buys the property from a household where the owner has disabilities or dependents and lets them stay there as tenants.

You should download the MSE budget planner and use the Turn2us online benefit calculator to model the future pessimistic scenario of a reduced income to see how affordable your current mortgage will be.

Miss_Havisham

Obviously I don't know anything about your employer but I went through something similar and my company was amazing. They let me take early retirement on health grounds at 54 on an immediate pension, which allows me to get by. However I had worked for them for 35 years.

It took me a few months to persuade them, including a long report from my consultant and another from a doctor appointed by the company's occupational health advisor.

Would you be able to approach your management or HR team to see what they might be able to do for you in due course ?

Good luck with both your health and your job.

Miss H

carleeds

Thanks to everyone for their replies. Workplace have already referred me to Occupational health. Waiting to go see them. Since the original posting I have also found out that there is a mortgage rescue scheme which allows a social housing landlord to buy only a share of your home, so reducing mortgage payments. It could be a long while until I will have to leave work but could could easily be quite quick as the disease is unpredictable.
Atrix, I will definitely not leave until they make me. Can't say I'm looking forward to the joys of claiming DLA. It's been on TV so often recently that I think the DLA are actually paying for the programmes to show all the horror stories, just so people don't bother claiming :rotfl:

ankspon

I was in the same boat,my employer did everything to help and keep me at work but eventually i had to admit defeat,occupational health and the managers were on my side and i received my occupational pension early due to ill health retirement.The problems started when i had to claim ESA,even though ATOS assessed me for my pension and i was awarded an enhanced rate due to never being able to work again ATOS then put me in the lower group,only after fighting for over a year and getting my MP involved was i put in the support group.Good luck.

Catden_2

Just a small point if you have a final salary pension, as I had when I finished, be careful of taking a lower paid job with your company. I was advised against it even for a short time as it would affect my ill health pension.
Might not effect you but just in case.