Morning fellow sufferers hope you are all doing ok and not in too much pain today xx
I was wondering if anyone has managed to retire on grounds of I’ll health with fibromyalgia and if you have any advice please.
As we know this is a condition that does not improve and only gets worse so any future planning is bleak and difficult.
Hi CWillo
This condition is irreversible but my past was bleak and I know present is bleak and will be in future.
Gov.U.K. has good advice for people who want to retire early for health reason. Their first advice is to contact your pension provider and take it from there. I know the employers (not all) are not keen on employees to know much about early retirement but you can find out from your Union.
Hope you get what are looking for
Hi PainnyThank you for your response and advice, fingers crossed xx
Yes I agree if you are working and want to finish on ill health contact your union or Pension Advisor. In some cases like mine I finished on ill health but, did NOT take a pension as DWP will reduce the State pension for doing this, in some cases by 25%. I claimed DLA as it was then and waited till I was 65 before excepting my pension. In my case again because of the number of completed years towards my pension I retired at 63 with no loss. Finished work at 58, does not mean the end as I went and did something else, (teaching and still do at 72) it just means finding something that suits you and where you want to be. Went into the Retired section of Unite and haven't looked back, as it keeps my brain working. Negative thinking bring negative actions.
Thank you really helpful
Too right, I think pension law is complicated.
Well done for doing other things. I’m so desperate to do a few hours of work allowed by DWP but can’t. In my case anyone coming within a metre of me causes excruciating pain for me. Equally if I see someone falling in front of me I feel I have fallen with severe pain. I even feel the changes in my nerve system
I’m so dilapidated. Sadly, I’m the master of negative thinking 💭 keep going and hats off to you
A friend of mine was a nurse and retired early in her 40s.
Hi I was medically retired in March, my union Unison were really helpful. He suggested I wrote to all my consultants and ask for support. My Asthma Consultant sent in a compelling letter which included a holistic view of my health and how this effected my daily life (asthma fully controlled). You have to ask for ill health retirement, so thats the first step, I was local Government so I was referred to a medical advisor who luckily agreed and I was given my full pension which was enhanced to retirement age. It was a very stressful process as you get to the point of no return before it is agreed. The medical advisor told me that different pension providers have different policies for ill health. I wish you luck. I asked I similar question on FMUK Facebook and got very negative responses but it worked out ok for me .
This is only another chapter in your life. Take your time and remember after 65 you transfer to Attendance Allowance. But that's another story. finishing on ill health for me was mind blowing, always being active and then could not walk. BUT, you adapt, which you will, and if you like gardening, you soon will.... HA HA No sorry, my sense of humour. You will find so many other things to do if you really want to, but who's forcing you? No one really, enjoy the sun shine out the back with a cup of tea, and see what takes your fancy today? Mine was to have a fish pond.
Unfortunately after looking into it I don’t think I am going to be able to retire early. I would have to declare myself unfit for work. There is a risk of not gaining the tier 1 payout, losing my job as unfit to work and therefore losing my home. It does seem worth the risk. I now have to look forward to working until retirement age in absolute agony struggling with fatigue and absolute misery.
If you have only worked for one employer, the pension scheme rules should tell you what you need to know. They will spell out the definition of disability for ill-health retirement and how you qualify for it. If you have had previous jobs and have final salary or career average pensions with those employers that come into payment at age 60, 65 or at State Pension Age if later, you should read the rules of those schemes too. Many pension schemes will allow a deferred pension to be paid early for health reasons, if you satisfy their definition of ill-health. They may ask you to see an Occupational Health Doctor to assess this. If the pension is paid early, sometimes it is reduced because it is being paid for more years. It depends on the rules of the scheme. Many schemes do not reduce the payments.
Evidence you will need to claim an ill-health pension could include GP records, letters from Hospitals and Consultants, any medical reports on your health, benefit assessments for ESA, PIP or DLA, insurance reports on your health, blue badge and so on. The onus is on you to demonstrate clearly that you meet the criteria for ill -health retirement.
If you have a defined contribution pension arrangement, the rules will differ. You can access it from age 55 in any case, regardless of health. To access it earlier, you need to meet the ill-health definition used by the provider of the scheme.
If you are in a Trades Union, involve them as they will have expertise in all of this.
Ill-health retirement costs pension schemes a small fortune. Just the pension can cost over £1 million for a 40 year old for the rest of their lifetime. For each £1,000 of Pension, the scheme has to set aside £40,000 in capital for you. That is why employers are so reluctant to give retirement to younger staff. It is not just the value of the pension that they have to consider. It is the cost of any uplift that the scheme may grant, either as a pension increase or as extra years of service added on.
You need to marshal your evidence. Sickness absence records, GP records, letters from every Hospital appointment you have had, copies of X rays, scans and MRIs. Get Social Services to carry out an assessment of your needs as a disabled person. An Occupational Therapist will produce a report. Claim PIP and get a copy of the Disability Assessor’s report on you.
Get a copy of the pension scheme rules on medical retirement and make sure everything you submit addresses the rules and makes it clear which of the rules apply to your situation and why. Usually there are two criteria, can you do your own job or a similar role and if not, could you do any job? Good luck.
Advice on ill health retirement
Retirement on health grounds 
Early retirement
ill health retirement 
Retirement due to ill health.
