Civil service upper tier pension

William01

HI all hope we are well. I'm just wondering I worked in the civil service, Years of depression, anxiety and undiagnosed autism with work place bullying effected me badly. Anyway the first application process to get it was so so difficult but I finally got upper tier Alpha. I'm due review at end of year or start of next year. With the benefit reforms coming I guess I'm extra worried about it. The template form of the review process seems non invasive nothing like the first time round which i found very stressful. Has anyone here been through it? can I ask and how did you find it? Was your form non invasive with your GP just reconfirming conditions and not writing much? Did yours go through OK or did they look for more complex information before making a decision. Any comeback would be great, as I say with the changes to welfare coming I feel so worried 😔

William01

I'm talking here about ill health retirement being granted to me on an upper tier award with reviews every 5 years which I'm very worried about.

MW123

@William01 Firstly, I would like to say welcome to Scope!

I do not personally have a civil service ill-health retirement, but I have friends who do. While not all of them, some have reviews every 3, 5, or 10 years, which is fairly common, particularly for ill-health retirement awards that aren’t considered permanent. From what I’ve been told, the review isn’t necessarily about reassessing whether you still qualify for the pension, but more about confirming that your circumstances haven’t improved enough for you to return to work.

The ongoing changes to the welfare system may affect eligibility for certain state benefits and could alter the review process for those benefits. However, it’s important to note that pensions like civil service ill-health retirement are managed separately from welfare benefits, so these changes typically won’t impact your pension review.

While the form may seem non-invasive, it’s still important to ensure that all relevant medical details are up to date and accurate. If your conditions remain the same, the review process should proceed smoothly.

If you're unsure how future changes may apply to your specific pension, or if you have any questions about the latest pension review, it's a good idea to contact your pension administrator, who can provide clarity on any concerns you may have.