I am 61 next year and was thinking of retiring quite soon before my PV was confirmed. My work have been really helpful, allowing me time off when I am very tired/achy or when I need treatment or have appointments.
Obviously this can only go on for so long though. Does anybody know if by law they have to offer me part time work due to my situation? Are they obliged to offer me a enhanced pension to leave if I did not want the part time work they offered?
Any experiences and advice would be welcome.
Written by
robcaduk
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As you may know, our conditions are classified as cancer by the WHO.
Your employer seems pretty sympathetic, but you haven't expressed any preference for either adjustment to work pattern or retirement. The problem with adjustment is that we don't know when the fatigue etc. is going to hit.
Hi, I worked for a local authority and was granted early retirement due to ill health in July this year. I have PV and osteoarthritis including a new knee.
My immediate bosses and work colleague I found very cold and unsympathetic but OH and my own GP were brilliant. I was 60 in September and received the full pension I would have received if I had retired in 6 years time when I was supposed to.
Good luck, there comes a time that health is more important than wealth and we are a long time dead as one of my friends pointed out!
Hi robcaduk - I am 59 and was medically retired from my place of work in August this year. I have ET/PV and was diagnosed when I was 53. I worked full time 5 days a week but about 3 years ago reduced this to 4 days a week. I found reducing my hours was manageable at first but then it became impossible because of the fatigue and constant infections. (I started on hydroxy 7x500 weekly to begin with, but over the years this has increased to 16x500 weekly). My employer has always been supportive and I was able to work from home on bad days, however, when I decided to throw the towel in and take early retirement they supported me through the process. I have just been awarded Tier II ill health pension, which is what I would have received at 60 plus 2/3 enhancement. I had the support of my employer, Occupational Health Consultant, my hospital Consultant and my GP. It is a long process and there are no guarantees you will get awarded ill health pension at the end of it, as this is assessed independently by your pension provider. I was never confident I would be awarded an ill health pension on an MPN and fatigue alone but was delighted when I was. I would like to add I would have taken early retirement anyway as I had had enough but on the advice of my union, I went off long term sick and went through the sickness policy process. I have to say it is the best decision I have ever made and I have no regrets whatsoever. Best Wishes
My situation was slightly different. I tried to struggle on with reduced hours and working from home but I just wasn't reliable due to PV and other conditions (maybe even the medications). But my employer HR dept suggested using the PHI (insurance) which they provided. At 55 this means I am now long term sick and the insurance covers 50% of my salary (I had it at a higher % and lowered it the year before my diagnosis, who knew eh?). Financially this is ok for me and will continue as long as I am unable to work. That potentially can take me till retirement when my pension arrangements will start. The main benefit is that I can concentrate on my health and take the time to look after myself without worrying about work. I'd still prefer to work full time but sometimes it takes someone else to point out the obvious for you to accept your particular situation. I must say that my employer helped at all stages. I would hope that any decent employer would do the same. Hope things work out for you. Donald
One thing I would like to mention is the pension isn't much and if you have to pay a mortgage or rent, you would struggle so please look into projections before you make any decision. As soon as I was diagnosed I knew I might struggle further along the line so I overpaid my mortgage while I was earning a full time wage and managed to pay it off early. I know not everyone is able to do that but it makes the difference between finishing work and carrying on working. I have friends who don't have a health condition and would dearly love to cut their hours or finish work and they can't because they have mortgages/loans/credit cards. Best wishes
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