early pension due to I’ll health

[maxistar]

hi

I was wondering if anyone had considered or taken their work pension early , due to ill health from polymyagia Rheumatica ? I’m thinking not but worth an ask

[piglette]

Has your company got its own scheme or do they farm it out to a third party? Do you know what age they allow retirement in your scheme?

[maxistar in reply to piglette]

Hi it’s under the social housing scheme SHPS, I am currently unable to work due to my health since May 2023, DWP health assessment has advised unable to work for at least 12 mths , due to PMR/anxiety , I was unsure if this would qualify for ill health retirement , as my understanding is that if it was granted it would increase the value than claiming early retirement at 55 which is an option

[Pixix in reply to maxistar]

You mention anxiety, maybe that’s more of a reason than PMR? Just a thought.it’s not right to ask, but you don’t mention your age here, & your Bio is empty. I retired early, by that time I was suffering from fibromyalgia and osteoarthritis. I did not retire for medical reasons. I worked many years at 60 hours a week with those two diseases. But I’d planned to do so, & had a final pension salary. I was able to take my pension early. It was about 12 years before I received old age pension last year. You have to think very carefully. Along the way I realised just how long (hopefully) I have to survive on just that pension pot of money. PMR started about 7 years into my retirement. It all depends on your personal financial situation, really. PMR is not lifelong, &, during treatment it is still possible to do a lot of things in life, it’s not a disability. I didn’t apply for any Govt benefits due to PMR, either. The disability benefit PIP is strictly monitored, & if gained just for PMR (unlikely), it wouldn’t last for a time of retirement, I don’t believe.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Pixix]

" You have to think very carefully. Along the way I realised just how long (hopefully) I have to survive on just that pension pot of money."

You have reminded me I meant to say: Not to mention the fact that the pension you get early is reduced from what you would get later unless you get full pension for ill-health and that is VERY difficult. Is your other income enough to make up for that because you may find you have problems later. And if it is the NHS, for example, you have to pass a test to show you have enough according to the standards set by government. Not sure if other branches are the same.

[Pixix in reply to PMRpro]

Exactly. Mine was less, but by £5 a month. Some are more reduced. There has to be other income (husband had Royal Navy pension from 45 years old. It doubled at 55 years old. But so many factors…age, solo or have partner, own home/renting…I certainly wouldn’t rely on PMR as a factor to get a benefit, as it would be taken away when PMR is better (could be 5, 10 years, who knows). UK benefits are very closely monitored in past 5 years.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Pixix]

And the assumption is that PMR is well managed with pred. You can't even get a blue badge on the strength of it most places!

[Pixix in reply to PMRpro]

Oh no, certainly not! But I’m not sure how many here can’t walk the length of a car park. Blue Badge is for disabled as in ‘can’t walk/on crutches/need wheelchair’…in which case you are unable to walk a large supermarket (example only) so you wouldn’t need to park there anyway!! It doesn’t matter about the pain levels, or how long it takes. I think, when the UK changed from DLA to PIP, they found a lot of people still using blue badges when they no longer needed one, or had DLA when it wasn’t warranted. I had DLA, long before I had PMR, & was offered a blue badge…but I was in a wheelchair. When change came I was able to walk with sticks, & they whipped that blue badge away like lightning! I heard the change from DLA to PIP brought a huge income to the Govt. I just hope they used it on the NHS!! Personal comments only, you understand! S x

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Pixix]

Some authorities accept "unable to walk 50m repeatedly" which is more realistic. And I was told recently atrial fibrillation is a ground for a blue badge in the UK. It would make a big difference to me managing alone with no-one to drop me somewhere to shop and pick me up. It is a hike to the bus to start with. They have new buses that are useless for anyone who struggles with stairs - no idea why they have changed from the superb wheelchair-friendly sort for the City Bus, I do sometimes go out and just hope I will make it back!!

[Pixix in reply to PMRpro]

Yes, that’s more realistic. David has atrial fibrillation, so did both of my parents. But all 3 could walk well, & wouldn’t dream of applying for one. But I think that’s the essence of it. Some would read your comment & think ‘oh, I’ve got AF, I’m going to apply for a blue badge’. I read it & think ‘thank goodness Dave, Dad & Mum didn’t need one’! Actually I did apply for one for Dad. He was 95 & blind from macular degeneration & couldn’t walk up hills easily. We used to take him round huge gardens in my wheelchair for his last year..he fought against it…then enjoyed it! We only needed the blue badge to get him in & out of wheelchair if in towns, never used a disabled space otherwise. Most of these ailments have people at one end of a scale to another, with many in the middle. If the ones who don’t need it stopped applying it would be easier for those who do!! I guess we are lucky to have everything delivered here…it’s amazing what you can buy in a UK supermarket! I guess you are shopping ‘in town’, too, instead of an out of town shop where you could drive there & park. I can’t believe they’ve changed buses back, & made them worse. There have been times when we’ve struggled a bit in the Italian hilltop towns & asked each other how people live in Italy in a wheelchair…in outlying areas, or where the norm is three flights of old stairs to an apartment! Watched an elderly lady, all in black, come down 52 stairs every day in Taormina to collect her mail…we could see it afar from our balcony. It took about 20 minutes. But one day she was cleaning the steps! We were there two weeks so actually counted the stairs one evening! Shame you don’t have neighbours & friends handy who can help. Our neighbours get stuff for us on their shop if I’ve forgotten something. Yesterday she came round & said they were having a Chinese takeaway delivered,would we like one…she does all ordering & paying, he brings round delivery, i pay by BACS! Perfect! Take care, S x

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Pixix]

The blue badge here allows parking free in any space. Food is a supermarket with parking - but all specialist stuff is shops in town and they try to keep everyone out ecept by bike or use the bus. Fewer and fewer parking spaces. And the only thing delivered is pizza ...

[Pixix in reply to PMRpro]

Interesting….I guess that’s true of a lot of places, less parking spaces, that is! I think blue badge holders have to pay to park here…some places. Don’t really go into town much now. S x

[piglette in reply to maxistar]

I believe TPT manage SHPS pensions. You will not be able to take your pension until you are 55. I don’t know how close you are to your ‘normal retirement age’. Do you know if you are in a Defined Contribution (DC) scheme or a Defined Benefit (DB)? As you would have spent fewer years in the scheme with an early retirement, your pension will be smaller if you retire early. You need to ask your company what your pension scheme says on early retirement. I would have thought most would say fine.

You have two pensions, the State pension and your company pension. You cannot take your state pension until the official government retirement age. Company pensions can start paying out from the age of 55 (57 from 2028), but this varies from pension scheme to pension scheme and whether you are on a DC or DF Pension scheme.

You can always leave you company through illness and defer your pension rather than taking early retirement. You do need to look at the financial implications to you personally before taking early retirement, you can always just stop working.

[PMRpro Ambassador]

It isn't as simple as you might think. And PMR tends to be a difficult decision as it is assumed that management with pred returns you to "normal". It very much depends on who your pension provider is.

[SheffieldJane]

I did and then did 6 years of fascinating voluntary work and then PMR came calling. Life’s for living if you can possibly afford it.

[Bcol]

Hi, I guess it will depend on what your company's pension scheme/arrangements are and then whether you and your medical team are able to convince them that you have a long lasting illness which will stop you from being able to do your work. Also, whether those pension arrangements will allow you to live the way you desire. We do have people on the forum who have retired early due to the PMR.

I didn't retire with PMR but I had many severe problems for a number of years with OA and finally left my office in 2001, the day the twin towers were destroyed, and applied for and got full medical retirement. I loved my job but the improvement that the release from the physical and mental pressures of a stressful job made an immediate improvement in my life. It also allowed me to manage my OA in a practical and sensible way.

[Sharitone]

Taking your occ pen early can be more beneficial for some than others, and there are some pitfalls. There is a thing called Pension Wise that gives free 1-hour appointments to help you with this (regardless of your income). You can get in touch with them via Citizens Advice, though it probably depends on your area. Here is some info on it

citizensadvice.org.uk/debt-...

Also beware that taking your pension early could affect any means-tested benefit entitlement. Here is some more general advice:

citizensadvice.org.uk/debt-...

[Geodesic]

Hello, I had to retire one year to the week before my 65th birthday, due to increasing pain and tiredness, cause unknown. I was working as a self-employed carpenter putting up plasterboard over my head and just had to go and lie down in my car at break time; the site manager found me there and said "I think you’d better go home" and that was my last shift—- ever!

Self-employed, so no redundancy or sick pay!

I was on 30mg of Preds for the first couple of weeks, then I went onto Methotraxate about 4years ago, now I am down to 1mg every other day. Good luck!