Resigning due to ill-health

asp746

Can anyone help me - a friend of mine's been diagnosed with anxiety and has been put on medication. She's at the stage where she's really struggling and has two options either to go on long term sick and end up being finished off or resigning.

Im just wondering how long she'd have to wait for benefits if she were to resign bearing in mind it's due to sickness?

Bubblesmum

Evening

I am both a mental health employment advisor and currently on long term sick due to physical health issues. So I have had to consider these choices.

I would advise not acting in haste and taking advice first.

What is your friends absence and sickness policy?
What is their GP's stance.
Are they able to take advice from the job centre.

Strictly speaking if you leave a job voluntarily without documentation that you are unable to continue in your role - you are not eligible for benefits for quite a while.

Government policy is very much about retention and the employer is required to make reasonable adjustments to enable the person to carry on working with their mental health condition.

The new employment and support allowance is very difficult to get, you have to be horizontal /in hospital to get long term ESA. They take the view that if your symptoms can be managed ie by medication you should be able to work in some shape or form and will encourage you to do so.

Happy to have a PM conversation if you would like to give me more information.

My initial reaction is stay on long term sick and ask for an occupational health report that will determine unfit/fit to work in long term. So they build evidence.

Incidentally you only get SSP for 23 weeks than you get moved on to ESA anyway. Therefore giving your friend evidence that they are unfit to work

Do PM me.

[Deleted User]

i'm afraid the above advice about ESA is a little jaded,its not that hard to get if you have a problem that prevents you from doing any work at all,the best advice i can give is that if it comes to needing to apply for ESA then get all the help and advice possible online/welfare rights/cab etc

2gorgeousgirls

Agree it is not hard to get BUT it is hard to stay on it.

If you leave your employment you self certify for the first 7 days and then you need to supply medical evidence from your GP (fit note). If you are in employment but off sick then once SSP runs out you apply for ESA. After 8 weeks you will be sent for a medical and, if you read through some of the threads on this forum, you will see that it can be hard to pass the medical and be allowed to stay on ESA. There are many threads about people who have been disallowed and have to go through the appeal process which is very stressful.

I agree with Bubblesmum, go on sick leave and let employer's sick leave policy kick in. Most employers will refer to occupational health. Employers should be doing what they can to retain staff which may involve making adjustments to type of work, hours of work etc. I, personally, would not resign in this situation as it may affect entitlement to benefits for up to 26 weeks. If work is really not going to be an option, the employer will eventually initiate their dismissal process.

Horseunderwater

She should go to her GP to get a long term sick note (med3) to present to her employer to claim SSP to see if a) the medication works enabling a return to her work
b) If not then she needs to wait to be offered ill health termination terms.
It would be financially the better option IMO.
ESA is not hard to get at all. You need to show that your illness fits 1 or more of the descriptors, to 1stly score at least 15 points (WRAG), then if poss if it meets the Support Group ones too. Google ESA DESCRIPTORS & read them through to see which ones they might match. Most fail getting ESA, because they fail to grasp that point when they fill out the ESA50 form. This is partly why so many people get called for a WCA & they still do not grasp the descriptors points, so ramble about stuff that may not be needed & thus score nil points, need to appeal etc Has your friend had any referral to a cpn yet?