I was wondering if anyone has gone through the process of attending occupational health and several other agencies, physio, cognitive behaviour therapy, medical assessments. I have been attending all these groups and have yet to even see a form to request early retirement. I have another medical assessment on Friday and getting really anxious. Feel very much in limbo as yes I am still on the staff list but have been absent for so long. I have worked there for almost twenty years.
Wishing you all a lovely weekend.
Written by
ef59
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This is a topic which sometimes crops up and there will be many members that have gone through the process along to offer support and advice soon. It must be a very difficult thing to be thinking about and hope that we can help.
In the meantime I'd like to give you this link which takes you to a recent thread discussing: Advice needed to appeal for early ill health retirement
This is also another recent thread which contains some links that you may find helpful discussing: It seems my FM may mean Medical Retirement - how do I find out what this could mean or whether its worth risking being fired?
Thank you very much for your understanding reply. I am getting myself into a tizzy about this assessment. I had this doctor previously and she reduced me to tears at my second assessment. I have completed the CBT course that she requested I complete. My future is in this assessment. Take care.
Hi there, yes I have been through all of these agencies and it was my employers occupational health service that first suggested medical retirement. My paperwork is currently with the pensions agency awaiting the final verdict. I would suggest you bring it up at your next occupational health appointment as it will be that agency that gathers all the relevant medical information that is needed, they then make a decision as to whether your application is likely to succeed before a possible submission. It isn't a quick process, mine was started in November 2013 and may be decided within the next 2 months. It is a frustrating process and one that left me feeling very hopeless at times as I had to jump through hoop after hoop, to ensure all possible avenues had been explored first. My GP was the most reluctant as he felt that at 55 I was far to young to be written off for possible future employment, regardless of my ability to actually do anything without wanting to cry with pain. I wish you luck, Linda.
My heart goes out to you I had to give up a job I loved about 4 years back after being ill for a year. I had been with them about the same time as you. Unfortunately, I wasn;t in their pension scheme as I was one of those unfortunates that years earlier had been mis sold 2 private pensions so had been wary about joining anything and of course it was the worse thing I could have done. I did enquire about early retirement on health grounds with another pension I had but when I realised the hassle I would have to go through with no guarantee of success and only being about 18 months from being able to draw that one I didn;t bother. The charity that I worked for decided after a year to send me to see an Occupational Therapist who decided I would be unfit to work for the foreseable future so any decisions were taken out of my hands. It is horrible when you are ill but still technically employed as I know you just feel as though you are in limbo land not belonging in either world. Good luck at your Friday assessmentx
Thank you very much for your understanding reply. Sometimes I wish I had left my job earlier before the fibro. I feel that I left with no dignity due to my conditions. Take care.
I began the process of ill health retirement owing to Fibro, bipolar and the after effects of encephalitis and meningitis, at 36 yes old. My situation was slightly different because I had filed a grievance for bullying over disability against a colleague after a year long campaign, and management were unhappy that I had brought the department under scrutiny. I'd been with the firm 12 years after training to be a lawyer, so almost my entire working like so far. Management tried to get rid of me through poor attendance because of the encephalitis/meningitis episode but the senior management team, HR and Occupational Heath we much more professional and tried to establish if/ when I'd likely return to work and if I could do the work I was employed to do. Ill health retirement at my place was a two tiered system,I do t know whether this is standard? I certainly didn't know til well into thee process.
Tier 1 - with the employee's health prevent them from effectively performing her role bearing in mind her health and assuming all avenues of treatment available have been tried..
Tier 2 - where tier one applies, but the impairment is such that would prevent the employee from taking any future alternative tole within the company should such a role be available.
So. In my case, being a lawyer was no longer possible because my memory and cognition/attention span, had been damaged by the encephalitis. However, would I have been able to answer phones and take messages, or type letters instead. Occupational health said no to both (tier one is a smaller monthly payout than tier 2).
The next step in the process is to send it to their own pensions assessor, so sadly occupational health in my case gave an opinion only and the rest was up to the pensions people. We assume that the decided at that stage to make me an offer to settle, as I didn't want to go back, and the thought of being 'retired' at 36 depressed me a little - well that's why I accepted the money, but actually, the offer to settle was to stop the application for IHR as they were not happy about the cost to them of paying pension for all those years to a 36 year old. And honestly, I'd been through so much by that stage, and treated so appallingly, that I just wanted it over with and lost my will to fight.
So sorry, such a long story, but I hope explained how it worked in my case and the channels they went through. I'm sure every firm is different but this was a very large place and it was notoriously difficult to get IHR. I wish you lots of luck in whatever route you take x
Thank you very much for your reply. I can relate totally to your work conditions and I admire your courage to report a grievance within your work place. On my return to work after three months absence I was told that I was jeopardising what she had at the moment with temporary staff covering my post. I feel that there has been a kangaroo court case without my presence. I agree with you Occ Health have been professional throughout and on Friday will be my third meeting with a medical assessor. I think the only box that remains unticked is the hydrotherapy. Please stop being so hard on yourself because I believe you stood up for yourself which I feel I never did. Your process is very similar to mine so it certainly helps to feel reassured. Take care .
Hi there Ef59, I am 35 years old and I have just been to my Occupational Health department r.e. ill-health retirement. I was a Community Support Officer for 3 years before experiencing the first stages of Fibro and Functional Weakness. I went through hell for 2 and a half years whilst still a PCSO. I was bullied by my colleagues and management tried to get rid of me through the disciplinary process. I ended up being issued with a final written warning. I was then put on Medical Capability and re-deployed to another role. I appealed the Final warning and it was quashed. I was harassed and humiliated by colleagues for 2 years but my bosses would not take any of it into account though so I am still so upset by it all! My union man suggested I withdrew my grievance as I had won my appeal. I still regret withdrawing the grievance as my colleagues (and managers) have got away with treating me like rubbish.
I had been re-deployed to an office job. It was up two steep flights of stairs and was a very stressful role where I ended up only doing about 20% of the role I was employed to do. I was unable to concentrate, I have cognitive problems and I was making mistakes, even just doing 20%. I have been off sick for almost 3 months now and feel worse than ever. The OH Dr said I would have difficulty proving permanency for the pensions as people can recover from Fibro/Functional Weakness. My consultant said most recently that I have been ill for 4 years now and the likelihood I will recover is diminishing. My OH Dr examined me and agreed I was unfit to work. She is referring me to the 'IRMP' process for a decision to be made r.e. retirement. I may have to wait a while but at least I am in the system I do wish you the best of luck whatever happens! Hugs x
Thank you for your reply. I hope that it all comes together for you real soon. I am getting so uptight for Friday already. This doctor reduced me to tears last time which is not something I do in public. You can take someone along with you but I am wondering if I take someone with me on this occasion she might question it as I was on my own last time. Take care and best of luck
Hi yes I was retired from education due to my illness , working in the public sector maybe helped ,,,, not sure really but was having so much time off and my lessons needed to be covered , it took all in all about 18 months before they said I had to finish I get a small pension which is a help
I also work with education but in non teaching so we share the same absence management rules. I have been absent for over a year and they have another person covering my post. Did you have to submit to the authority for a request for early retirement or did Occ Health arrange that for you. Take care and thanks for your reply.
Just was word of caution...I too was in the public sector, a government legal department who thought nothing of trying to squash my like a bug. They do say they are worst sort - those who wrote the legislation...xx
I am going thru this right now. I have just been to yet another OH doc who is going to recommend early retirement at long last. The next step is that I go to another doc (work and pensions) who make the final decisions
I was granted early retirement in 2005 with extra years added due to Fibro mainly because it was cheaper rather than a redundacy package.I worked in Local Government.
Hi. Thanks for your reply. I am still waiting on a decision if I will be successful for early retirement due to ill health which has been going on since a year past in April. Fingers crossed I will hear a decision soon. Take care.
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