Ill Health Retirement

[CrazyKittyMom]

Hi All,I have fibromyalgia and would like to apply for Ill Health Retirement. Has anyone been successfull with this?

[Jeanie4848]

hi there

Yes I retired on ill health in Feb .

The process was quite drawn out but I was granted it on tier 2 which meant8got access to my pension with what was currently in it.

I can honestly say it’s the best thing I’ve ever done, no morty worries about pushing myself into work when I can barely function with fibro .

Can I ask do you have a private pension and how old are you .? As this can make a bid decision in wether you are granted and what you are granted .

[CrazyKittyMom in reply to Jeanie4848]

Hi,Thank you for your response. I am glad to hear you were successful. Sounds like it has been very good for you 🙌

I am 52 yrs old and have an NHS pension (1995). I was in a senior clinical nursing role and was dismissed from work on the grounds of ill health last Oct 23. Prior to this my occi health doctor had declined to support an ill health pension application with fibromyalgia as the cause of my recurrent multiple muscle pain and fibro fog despite robust support from my rheumatologist.

After appeals, complaints and many emails later, I have since managed to get my previous employer to support an initial application. However I am now having to fund an independent occi health doctor to help complete my application 🙄.

[Jeanie4848 in reply to CrazyKittyMom]

Wow that’s crazy ……you must push this through and get the help from your union or other bodies , as you have already have been dismissed on ill health grounds I cannot believe that they have not supported you in gaining early access to your pension.

Please do not be deterred and also look into other benefits you can claim whilst you are unable to work , I was granted the support esa alongside my small pension and I’m currently in the process of applying for Pip .

Please let us know how you get on

Sending gentle hugs and positive thought your way

[CrazyKittyMom in reply to Jeanie4848]

I know this is the problem with not all doctors believing in fibro and how debilitating it can be 😪.I will push through and let you know how it pans out. I think it will be a few months though.

I am receiving ESA and also awaiting the outcome of my PIP assessment. Good luck with yours 🤞 and please let me know if you are successful.

Thank you for your advice and kind wishes 🤗

[wee-maggie in reply to CrazyKittyMom]

Hi i was forced on ill heath retirement i also worked in nhs since 1979 as health care assistant i was on reasonable adjustment one being i could as to leave the floor for a quick 5 minute break but never ever used it until one day i was severely fatigued and my brain fog was terrible that was the straw that broke the camels back my manager sent me home then pulled me up for being sloff sick and said i couldnt do my job because i said about brain fog the stress was awful ibhave a small pension because i worked part-time i was 57 at the time my union wasnt much good but i believe i couldnt do the job now because of severe pain hope you get on alright i just miss the social side and just interaction with people

[CrazyKittyMom in reply to wee-maggie]

Hi Wee-Maggie,Thank you for your response. I am sorry to hear you were forced to take ill health retirement. I too miss my lovely work friends and my job 😔.

Thank you for your good wishes 🙂

[Ellenindigo]

Yes I was granted Tier 1 - this means they made up my pension as if I was 67.

It was v straightforward - took a matter of days to see the Occ Health person who decides. As with anything - talk about you on your worst day. If they can make reasonable adjustments they will.

Oh, and join/inform your union….

[CrazyKittyMom in reply to Ellenindigo]

Hi Ellenindego,Thank you for your response. You are the first case I have heard of that has been able to get your pension with ease.

Can I ask if you worked for the NHS? It sounds like your organisation and occi health (OH) department were far more sympathetic than mine.

My OH doctor said that applying for IHR was a long drawn out process and that the bar was very high and declined to concider fibro as a diagnosis worthy of support for IHR. I was then dismissed on the grounds of ill health haven't been well enough to work since.

I have had to fight until now to get my previous employer to support an application so that I can still get access to my pension at tier 1 & 2 if neede

I have to say my union who accompanied me throughout the whole of this process were not supportive and closed my case!

I have had to fight for this on my own. I must just be very unlucky with who I have had to deal with 🤯

[Ellenindigo in reply to CrazyKittyMom]

Gah, that sounds really hard work. I was working for a local council - had been there about 15 years.

I am surprised that your Union were not particularly supportive - have you tried escalating it to a non local branch (regional representative), and also tried ACAS?

[CrazyKittyMom in reply to Ellenindigo]

Not yet but I think that would be a good idea. They said to contact them again if I my application was turned down 🤷‍♀️

[releasethemagic]

I had a deferred public sector pension with BT for service before they were privatised. When I was 55 and was having to give up work due to fibromyalgia , I applied to be paid it 10 years early. The fund referred me to their Occupational Health Doctors and after 45 minutes with a Doctor, he decided that I was not capable of doing my original job with BT and I was awarded the pension. BT had no tiers, it was a simple yes or no decision. The pension was paid in full with no deduction. I had also tried with Barclays Bank where I had 15 years service but they were just nasty. They said I would have to see Doctors and if I was awarded the pension on health grounds, it would be paid 10 years early but with a reduction of 5% for each year, meaning I would only get 50% of what I had accrued. All those billions in profits go to paying banker bonuses, not ill-health pensions...

[CrazyKittyMom in reply to releasethemagic]

Hi Releasethemagic,Thank you for your response.

It sounds like success with IHR depends on who you work for, the geography and person you deal with not your disability 🤔

[releasethemagic in reply to CrazyKittyMom]

I think it largely depends on the rules of the pension scheme and in particular your age. Public sector employers and their pension schemes are reluctant to award ill-health pensions to younger people as the cost is crippling and has to be paid from taxation. For example, while a £10,000 a year pension might not sound a lot, a funded pension scheme like the one in Local Government, has to set aside capital of £250,000 to fund it. Basically the investment income from dividends and interest on the £250,000 meets the £10,000 annual cost of the pension. This is why employers are so reluctant to give ill-health pensions to younger people. It ties up so much money and potentially for 50 years. For older people, the capital is tied up for a much shorter time. For the public sector schemes that have no fund (civil servants, army, police, teachers etc), the cost is charged directly to taxation, reducing the money available for education, the NHS and other public services.

In private sector contribution based schemes, where the contributions build up in a fund that you can access at retirement age, many blue chip employers will add a hefty amount to the fund for an ill-health retirement to ensure the fund reaches the same level that it would have done at state pension age. This could cost them over £200,000 for an employee in their 30s, but perhaps £40,000 for someone in their 50s.

So age is an important factor. Typically they will say to a younger person that there is no evidence that they will not get better in time.

[CrazyKittyMom in reply to releasethemagic]

Yes cost is the obvious factor, however I am in my 50's and have paid 35 years of pension. Also I could have retired anyway in less than 3 years with an unreduced pension 🤷‍♀️

I still think it's down to the doctors support. I have worked with many GP's during my career and sadly there remains a stigma attached to conditions like fibromayalgia so am not supprised some OH doctors are reluctant to give their support.

[Ellenindigo in reply to CrazyKittyMom]

I wonder if it is worth getting a private appointment with a consultant (I did and it cost £200 but it led to the diagnosis and a much much deeper understanding of how to manage (or not, as it turned out) three linked conditions.

The letter from the consultant was sent to the OH. I think rheumatologists understand FM in a way GPs can’t be expected to … it’s complex and chronic, they are more the first port of call with an acute issue maybe?

[CrazyKittyMom in reply to Ellenindigo]

Hi, I am under the care of a rheumatologist that I saw privately initially. They gave me a diagnosis of fibro and wrote a very supportive letter. Unfortunately OH doctor declined to review me with my new diagnosis 🤷‍♀️I have spoken with my GP who said she wasn't trained in OH assessments and that to give my application for IHR the best chance she advised me to pay for a private OH assessor to complete my form. I am awaiting an appt £300 for 45 mins. I will let everyone know if it's worth it 🤞🤞

[Ellenindigo]

Well let’s us know, we’re all here rooting for you x

[CrazyKittyMom in reply to Ellenindigo]

Will do, thank you! 🤗