hi just checking to see if this has happened to anyone else .I am a bricklayer and have had a mitral valve repair in may. I have had various problems since .wound infection chest pain a bout of Af I have been admitted to hospital since my initial discharge .anyway I got a letter from my employer stating that my sick pay is to stop as I have now been paid for 28 weeks and that is the maximum amount they are allowed to pay .I have worked all my life and never claimed benefits .up to now I have been fortunate enough to never have had to be paid sick pay . I find the fact that some people never work a day in their life will still be able to claim benefits regardless of how long they are sick .perhaps I should head to warmer climate and seek asylum lol .what is everyone else thinking about this
28 weeks sick pay : hi just checking to... - British Heart Fou...
28 weeks sick pay
It will all depend on your companies HR policies. For my work I get so much at full and then so much at half. Statutory sick is included within the full.
Hello 
It does not seem fair
My Son works looking after disabled people and if staff get the unmentionable virus they have to stay of work till they get 2 clear tests and they do not get paid while they are of waiting which again seems really unfair especially when my Son took 11 days to get 2 clear results but that is his employers policy so nothing they can do about it
I agree that some never work a day in their life yet can claim even though I believe they have made it harder now for them but feel for those that have never worked because of health issues and get thrown in the same basket as we say as people do not realise there is something wrong with them as there are so many illnesses that the eye cannot always see
Not sure but are you going to put a claim in now or will you be going back to work which ever it is I hope it turns out ok and you do not have to struggle x
hi be kind I’m not physically strong enough to go back yet have spoken to gp who agrees with me . I wouldn’t even know how to go about claiming and really could do without any stress just now
Hello
Hidden has given you a good link there to have a look at
I do understand it feels like so much hassle to try and put a claim in and the time it will take
I suppose I would have to ask can I survive on what I have without putting a claim in and if I could knowing me I would not want the hassle either even if I was entitled to it but if I could not survive without it I would have no choice but to claim
It will all come good again just sometimes it feels worse before it gets better x
Hi, Unfortunately the SSP stops at 28 weeks, but, you may be able to claim Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) which is payable once that stops. See link.
gov.uk/employment-support-a...
It's worth trying for it and also Universal Credit.
Best Regards
thanks for the link I’m really hoping to get back to work mid February I’ll certainly look into this and see if I’m entitled to anything
thank you useful to me too in the event it comes to this.
I agree with you in is so un fare. Iam not in your situation yet. But I have been doing in theory light duties since February. Trouble is, it may seem light duties but you still get involved. My issue causes cyanosis when exerting. Which is a pain but it is something I have lived with and may have to continue to live with. I still work a 40hr week 8 hrs a day. But I got off doing our lue day system where you work occasional weekend. But I have lost a small amount of money. But iam now waiting to see what our occupational health department report says about my condition. I saw our company doctor who may have an input to the report but it is worry. A worry I don't want. Fortunatly I have fallen back doing my electrical maintenance tasks. Which I can usually get away with and a small tool bag. But working in a busy factory you can get involved with things. Which can require a bit of muscle and exertion. I feel this may be the slippery slope to being released? I have managed 40 years at the same company so you would think a little leniency but I think money talks and you are just a number. Same as you I have never really had very much time off sick. But it becomes a hassle I don't want. Fortunatly iam in a union but I may need to call upon their services. Because I carnt do this alone if the outcome comes to being released.
I hope after 40 years your company would look after you .I’ve spent the last couple weeks or so having a long hard think about the future and yes we are all just a number when push comes to shove
See the problem is that I suppose the the company have to go through a procedure. I hope they do look after me but unfortunately it becomes a two way street. I have got to try and push through this physically and mentally and at least show some willing. But it is very hard. Iam the same age as you, so I have another 10 years until old age pension. I do have pensions which I may have to utilise but they have got to fill the gap between now and 10 years time. What iam trying to say and you have similar issues, you work all your life, and in any trade it is hard physical work. Bang you get a heart issue and there is no safety net to catch you. You pay your taxes all your life but to get any help, again you have to go through hoops.
thanks very much I’ll look into it
I’m about to hit the six months soon but I’m very lucky I’ve been on full pay for those 6 months then I will go onto half pay for the next 6 months.
Like you said there is no way I can go back to work yet I have a physical and stressful job. I’m 55 and I’m starting to think it may be time to finish but not till I’m forced into it. Sorry I don’t know your age but have you got a private pension and can you access it yet?
We have been given a second chance and there is far more to life then work.
Thanks
hi jako 999 I’m 57 and yes we have been felt a second chance it’s not really about the money it’s more about the fact that I’ve never claimed anything in my life I haven’t even had sick pay before .all in all roughly £2800 in sick pay and off you pop
It’s not everyone who is going to be able to get buy
The system stinks for those who've worked all their lives.I'm lucky that I've been paid or insured when I was off work, so in 44 years I never claimed a penny. When I retired through ill health in December last year, people said claim for this and that. As I have an income through a private pension I then failed on all counts for benefits, although I have a PIP claim ongoing. The closest I came was for the ESA, but, the pension scuppered that, although I was paid for one week, then they realised and stopped payments. To be fair I didn't expect anything so wasn't that bothered, but, it was a simple process over the phone and they were helpful enough.
I too took early retirement with a small private pension. I felt I slipped through the net for claiming any benefits, then one day about 3-4 months ago I happened across the ESA site. I applied on line which resulted in £9.36 per week. Then 4-5 weeks later I get notification from HMRC because of this benefit I was now being taxed £45 per month (therefore out of pocket about £8 per month). On the plus side my National Insurance Contribution is being paid as I’m a few years short on NIC.
ESA can only be claimed for 12 months and I think I’m coming up to 5months now. I have a telephone interview with someone from Job Centre Plus on the 18th to discuss steps back to work (or not) and I suppose my ongoing eligibility to claim ESA. Watch this space
Hi I claimed EESA which is contribution based and not means tested when I was told I could never work again and I was put into what they call a support group, which just means they never call on you to a review or interviews they leave you be. They do take into account any rise I get in my small private pension and deduct a percentage which is not that much, it works out roughly £100 per week for which I am very grateful. I am 64 now I think I have been getting it for 4 or 5 years I get my NI stamp paid.
This is the second time I’ve had a long period off the others was 11 years ago when I had cancer, the system is all so wrong like you I have paid in a fortune and been employed since I was 16 with no brakes. The employers don’t really care and the government are only interested in getting money in not out.
Are your comments aimed at disabled people who are unable to work because of disabilities and have to live a life of misery on benefits
In the UK we have the complicated benefits system in the world. Any attempts to simplify are doomed to failure as politicians and the media will always be able to find someone who’s going to be worse off. There are a lot of people who know how to work the system and because it’s so complicated there are also a lot of people who miss out. It can be very frustrating for first timers.
I see nobody has mention the CAB, they are very good at advising on what you are entitled to and are very good at helping with form filling and applications. You have nothing to lose in making an appointment to discuss your situation, it might just help, give it a try.
hi there
Each company is different and depending on internal policies you may get paid for longer. However the statutory sock pay indeed is paid max for 28 weeks. Any decent employee would have a disability cover which kicks in after the SSP expires. You need to ask if your employee has a disability cover. It covers you for the time after 28 weeks until you come back to work ) or until retired in case of permanent disability) for either 50% or 75% of your salary. It is not expensive insurance and nowadays all employees I know of and talking to, have this insurance. (I am HR Director). So please ask. This aside, they can pay you discretionary pay, it is up to them there is no law against it, but again all depends on employer. Talk to the big boss! .
Hope you are healing well.
People think that they will never be in this situation, life changes in a flash, health issues, no salary, ssp that runs out, debts start to mount up, lose your job, all combines to make your health worse, tricky situation indeed,
hi Sam your comments are not really helpful .I may have no salary at present and yes ssp is stopping .however my job is secure and even if it wasn’t I’m still young enough to turn my hand to something else .a positive attitude helps.the point that I was making in the original post which contains no references to disabled persons .is that I don’t think that a person who has contributed to the welfare system all there days should be cut off from ssp as long as the doctor agrees that they are not fit to work .I hope this clears things up for you
Thanks.things didn't need clearing up.ive been in a very similar situation.heres my advice.ssp stops after 28 weeks.your employer should have completed a form before the cut off date to enable you to claim ESA so that there is time to get the claim processed.if they have not you will have to do the claim.it probably will take a month so demand a emergency payment or a loan as you have to live on something.you will have to be firm but polite with them.ask has your stamps been paid while on ssp and as soon as you make a claim for ESA your stamps will be paid.ive been through it and it's not very pleasant so good luck
I
I notice that you have already been told to claim esa and you should but a word of warning when it comes to filling in the forms fill them in on what you feel like on your worst days !don’t !!!put down well 2 days a week not so bad , just stay truthful but only stick to how you are on the bad days!🙂 been there 🙂
Contact Citizens Advice who can help you claim what you are entitled to
Hi Gussy, bad news I'm afraid, sorry to hear of your situation. Two things, first make your claim for ESA as soon as possible, I don't think it can be backdated. The second thought is that perhaps you can ask your employer to return on light duties if that is possible, or a phased return to work. If you do claim ESA, fill the forms in describing your worste day, not how well you can cope.
hi as heedio mentioned above you may be able to claim ESA. There are two different types one is contribution (if you’ve payed enough national insurance credits)the other is means tested. Both have two groups - working group or support group- you go through an assessment to see which one you qualify for. The working group is only paid for one year. The support group pays more per week and is not time limited. I’ve retired early due to I’ll health and the period between being on nil pay and until a decision was made I received contribution ESA … £116 a week. I then started to receive a small pension. The first £85 of the pension was disregarded and 50% of anything I recieved above that was deducted from the ESA amount. I did not apply for Universal Credit as that is means tested and my pension and ESA took me above that level anyway. Get advice before applying as once you enter Universal credit I don’t think you can leave it. WARNING Universal credit deducts pension payments above the threshold £ for £ not like the contribution ESA that deducts 50p to £1.
Good morning Gussy121. Have you been paid your normal wages or just statutory sick pay (SSP)? Your contract should indicate the amount and duration of sick pay you get.
My son is only allowed 6 days pa paid sick leave then he only receives SSP which is around £98 per week. When I was working after 5 yrs I was allowed 6 months full time pay then 6 months half pay. I worked for a good employer and was a member of an excellent trace union. I had breast cancer with all the problems that brings and needed that time off.
My son's employer is US owned thus the difference. Now with this government we see falling employee rights. It's bad enough being so poorly without having to worry about money, especially in these difficult times.
Check with your HR people for what the firm allows then check with Citizens Advice for more options.
Good luck.
I was very lucky that I worked for a large company with a great boss who pushed for me to be paid when I had cancer and subsequent heart issues. Unfortunately when he left I was at the "mercy" of the new boss and ended up on SSP . When that finished, I wasn't paid but I had started on a phased return to work so was being paid a small amount which kept me going.
I hope that you are able to claim something as being financially compromised will put a strain on you.
thanks for the reply I have certainly paid enough national insurance .my daughter is coming tonight to see what is needed to start a claim .
Thats a good idea. I wouldn't know where to start as I have very little knowledge of the benefit system. Citizens Advice or Age Concern (depending on your age!) may also help if your daughter is unsure. Good luck.
You should certainly qualify for the working group ESA which is not means tested and you will be able to claim for 12 months once your SSP stops, it’s £77 a week just remember though you will need to continue to get fit notes from your GP you upload them to the .gov site. If your illness goes on longer than 12 months they will assess you for the support group ESA you no longer need fit notes if you go on that one, but sounds like you are aiming to get back into work when you are fit enough so probably won’t need to jump through the hoops that the support group payment requires. There is plenty of help and guidance on filling in the forms and claiming on the gov site. Good luck
thanks for the advice much appreciated
I used this organisation to help me when I successfully applied for my PIP.It's really important to use the correct phrases and terms when filling in the forms.
Good luck.
thanks for the reply everyone has been helpful my daughter is coming around today to help with the forms
it’s shocking isn’t it , I was in the same boat as you kinda . I stopped working due to the pandemic and I got furlong for over a year, then had a heart attack got paid off so I applied for ssp or esa , I got none of those due to my employer not paying the tax or ni for anyone . I was / am lucky that my husband works so therefore my pay was really just pin money so to speak . I was left for about 6 months or more without a single penny to my name , it was and still is depressing. I applied for pip and got standard on both elements. You should apply for esa and I believe you will get that but also apply for tax credits and pip . You should definitely call up the dwp asap and ask for help today
Had exactly the same happen and then had to move onto ESA, I know its a hassle but you may end up with slightly more on ESA than SSP. Best wishes and good health
Hi Gussy look up your local C.A.B. give them a call and they will tell you if or what you are entitled to claim. Give it a try as they take all the hassle out as you do not need the stress. I voluntary run large groups of elderly and have been gob smacked at how much of us working folk who have never had any benefits are entitled to claim. Hope you get some good advice.
Snap gussy. Had mine done in may worked for my company for 40 yes stopped getting paid after 28 wks. I went for retirement due to ill health. Got 13 wks pay and 5 wks Holliday in lieu of notice. Just in the process of claiming pip.
Sickness pay in particular, has been a nightmare on many levels for those used to paying their own way and therefore being unaware of when and how to claim benefits. Your strong work ethic is not taken into account. When you need them - which is exactly what they were designed for - you are at your most vulnerable. I found this out twenty years ago when I had a heart attack. I was claiming sickness benefit and then invalidity, an extension of sickness pay at the time. PIP I think has replaced it. The questions asked and the nature of my illness, my honesty, another accompanying illness I was not informed of - my benefits were stopped. If you can get through to the Citizens Advice locally they should be able to guide you towards a charitable advocacy. Always take someone with you to meet benefits people because you can be very unready for their questions and you need someone else to give you feedback about the meeting. You may not realise just how vulnerable you are in this hopefully temporary situation. Take no chances. Your pension etc may depend upon it.
thanks I’m away to phone cab now I really don’t need this stress hopefully they will help
understand your situation, i have been in that position myself
if and when you apply for ESA, i found this site and the support they provide very helpful: benefitsandwork.co.uk/
the benefit forms are long and complicated, to ensure you best chance of being awarded the benefits wo which you are entitled is is a good idea to get advice and take your time completing the forms carefully - it's repetitive and can be depressing
good luck
IT's many years now since I was forced to stop work because of ill health so my memory isn't perfect but I was a teacher. If I remember rightly I got half a year on full sick pay then it dropped to half for another 6 months then stopped completely. ( Accompanied by regular ( Oh so pleasant-not) letters from the head teacher asking if and when I was going to resign because it was disruptive for the children and costing them to employ supply teachers. Back then I applied for disability living allowance and go it but I should have been given advice on ill healh retirement and pension and got no advice at all. If you do need to apply for benefits use the 'Benefits and Work' website.
thanks I have just emailed cab my daughter was going to help with the form but i don’t want to make her feel bad if I should be refused a lot of kind people have recommended c a b so I’ll see where it goes thanks again
Do also at least have a look at Benefits and Work. YOu have to pay a bit to be a member but even without there's an awful lot of advice on filling in the forms and how to word it and what extra information to get. I've been disabled now for 30 years, been turned down numerous times and had to appeal and went to 6 tribunals. The ONLY time I lost was when I got a group called welfare rights to help me. I've done all other claims with the advice on Benefits and Work. They used to only allow me 2 years at a time until 8 years ago so I've done plenty of forms. Last time I sent 11 extra pages of info on medication and doctors I'd seen. DO NOT be restricted to the tiny boxes on the form. add extra; explain how it affects you, what you have tried and what didn't work. It's all about what you cannot do--- repeatedly and without significant pain and distress. If you can do it once but end up having to lie down say so. Explain, explain and explain. If you get turned down then appeal. The system is designed to get rid of as many claims as possible for people who can't do the forms or get too upset to go through appeal.
yes both my daughters are teachers and that’s what they get if off sick .they couldn’t believe poor old dad only gets pittance had to take them out to the garden and show them that the money tree that funded their uni was Broken and dry 😂
Hi Gussy. My Son was talking about this last Week. He is a Scaffolder and currently going to Work with a Dislocated Shoulder because he just can't afford to lose Work. He has been to A & E and waited 12 Hours and then came Home because he would have been there until the next day when he was worried about Work and the Pay he would get if he didn't go. He refuses plain blank to apply for Benefits!!!
hi it’s certainly not something I want to do but I will have to make sure my NI stamp gets paid or it will affect my pension in later years
Yes I can understand that. Not easy though is it???
it hasn’t been easy from the start of this episode but I didn’t know that the sick pay would be stopped and another obstacle would be thrown into the equation but hey ho onward and upward I guess .
Yeah, that's ALL anyone can do in these times lol 😂
I am currently sick from work and yes employers stop paying after 28weeks (at week 23 ask the employer for an SSP1 form
If claiming Universal credit once you get zero wages HMRC let UC know and you should get sick pay through UC - I’m still waiting for that bit
I’ve always worked and this year my 40 year relationship broke down - cannot believe the hoops I’ve had to jump through to get help and drain savings in the process before getting anything.
It is so wrong. Have had to return to full time work after double heart valve replacement. Worked all my life and managed to buy a small house. There are people across the street who have never worked it seems unfair I cannot get my state pension, not benefit, until am 66.
Cheeses me right off
it’s soul destroying isn’t it - I’m 58 and can’t retire till 67, I’ve done my best to work, bring my kids up to work for what they want and then you think, the ones who don’t deserve are the ones who’ll get the same nursing home as me when if/when I end up in one, these days you buy your house to leave to your kids or whoever and much will be taken back in taxes! I worked to buy a car to go to work, pay car insurance but where does it get me when some uninsured drink driver smashes it or some horror punches it in the night
It’s the stress that causes the issues in the first place and gets us nowhere
Hope you recover so it’s easier for you to enjoy your wares you worked hard to get - we need to pay our own backs as the govt won’t
I’m sorry life ain’t so good for you just now you shouldn’t have to fight for what you have worked for I have got citizens advice on the case a really nice guy has said he will help hopefully we will all get better soon and back to work eventually replenish the bank balance god knows it’s going to need it lol
SSP is only paid for 28 weeks, your employer should issue a form (it used to be an 'SSP1' but may have changed. Once the SSP period comes to an end a claim has to be made to the DWP, depending on the area you live it may be for one of the older legacy benefits or for Universal Credit.
With all the changes that were made during the pandemic I'm not sure if UC is now paid immediately or if there is still a period where nothing is paid until the claim is validated (it used to be 42 days/6 weeks from submitting the application to the first payment so claimants had to survive on nothing for 6 weeks though that may no longer apply). Initially UC is also paid at the standard rate (approx £330 per month), though claims relating to sickness should be uplifted to pay twice that amount after a period of time and backdated to the date of first payment. That part of the scenario is (or certainly was), done on an old fashioned paper form with ridiculous questions such as can you raise your hand to your chest pocket (as if to take a pen from a shirt pocket), whether you can push buttons (such as dialling from a touch button phone), and if you are able to understand and answer simple questions which may be spoken, written or some other method and if you can convey a simple message by speaking, writing or some other method. It's impossible to say 'no' to the last two as you need to understand and answer them and ALL questions have to be answered.
The initial application and subsequent updates that may be needed for Universal Credit 9eg a change in circumstances or a change in health), is now all handled online and by design is a slow laborious process, expect some stupid tasks requiring completion a week before a payment is due and withdrawal of payment if any task they set or an instruction to log into your online journal are not complied with. Been there, done it and had my first payment stopped for failing to attend the job centre when laid in HDU two days after a 22,000 trop level heart attack. The appeal process plus the 6 week wait for the initial claim to be validated saw me without any income for a total of 17 weeks.
thanks for that glen I’m trying to let the stress levels go down after reading this I think I’ll tell them to stick it I’m not prepared to have my blood pressure going through the roof again for a few measly quid
What you have to bear in mind is that you don't know what tomorrow will bring. First week of Feb 2018 I got the nod to return to work, before the week was over I was in HDU, by October 2018 my tally was 6 heart attacks. I'm not trying to be all doom and gloom and my circumstances are pretty exceptional but so are those of everyone else to some degree, we don't all fit the boxes they want to tick and label us by.
I was only paid company sick pay for 12 weeks following my Heart Attack a few years ago, or I would only have got SSP, so i in conjunction with the company MO, decided to go back to my full time job as a baker. Yes it was a bit of a struggle at first but I didn't regret it, plus my female colleagues clucked around me like mother hens. Sometimes its just best to bite the bullet and get on with life, but everyone is different.
thanks Geoff I do intend to go back to work but it’s not possible just now a bricklayer who can’t lift a 19 kg block without wincing from pain ain’t any good to anyone
I was lifting a 16kg bag of flour and lifting a strap of bread tins with dough then baked bread for 8 hours daily, plus getting up at 3 am for a 4.30 start. everyone is different but I found a positive attitude to return to normal was part of my recovery. Years later and a couple of scares, I am now retired and 71 and following up being under the hospital cardiologist for 2 years I am feeling better now than I have done for many years, I had a CT scan and was told my heart although slightly enlarged is in reasonable condition but years of breathing in flour dust have damaged my lungs, but inhalers are helping with that. Hope you feel better soon and remember an MI is not the end of your life its just the start of a different chapter!
ESA PAYMENTS Make a phone claim on 0800 055 6688
My situation was similar to yours, even down to the operation and post op infection.
My experience of making the claim via the above number was positive, it all seemed fairly easy.
Check out the . Government website on ESA payments, plenty of useful information there.
Good luck
fantastic thanks for getting back to me could I please ask you how long you were off work for and do still get pain around the area that was infected
Like many have said the company will pay about 6 months but the company I worked for, at their discretion, gave me another extended 6 months sick pay due to the op. So maybe a word with HR might be worthwhile. SSP will cease after 6 months
Again many have said you can claim ESA , which I did and it should not be a problem with your claim but a little warning. ESA is classed as taxable income and is not taxed at source and believe me, the tax office will come after you.
After being off sick for 10 months I got a letter saying I owed nearly £300 which I could ill afford. I argued the toss with them on all fronts, all I got was "you can pay by cheque or we will screw up your tax code" for the next couple of years.😁
Anyway hope you get it sorted.
I am a plumber working for a council when I had my bypass, they only paid me 3 months full so every company is different.
I work for the NHS, and that is what I get, 28 weeks, and it is applied as a rolling year, so a day off after that in a year, for example, a cold, I wouldn’t get paid.
Gastrocardiac Syndrome
Diagnosed with heart failure.
BUPA and pre-existing conditions
