Upper-tier ill health retirement experience?

System

This discussion was created from comments split from: Civil Service - iLL Health Retirement.

method

Hi all,

I'm a civil servant (alpha pension scheme) and I've been dealing with schizophrenia and anxiety daily for several years. I've tried to push through and keep working — I take some sick leave each year, but not much, mostly because I'm afraid of losing my job. The problem is that pushing through often means I end up doing no work at all rather than actually managing my symptoms, which I know isn't sustainable.

I already have flexible working and home-based working in place, but things have kept getting worse despite those adjustments. My job itself is genuinely low-stress and easy — it's purely that I can't function through the symptoms, not the workload.

I'm now looking seriously at upper-tier ill-health retirement rather than lower-tier, and I've got a few specific things I'm hoping people with direct experience can help with:

1. My psychiatrists describe me as "high functioning," which doesn't reflect how much I'm struggling day to day. Has anyone successfully been awarded upper tier despite reports using language like this, and how did you address it in the application (or on appeal)?
2. What kind of evidence actually carries weight for upper tier specifically — is it about permanence, about inability to do any regular work (not just your current role), or something else? What made the difference for you?
3. Has anyone dealt with the ill-health pension itself feeling too low to live on? Did you combine it with anything else (other benefits, part-time work you could still manage, etc.) to make it workable?

I haven't formally applied yet. I'm currently at the stage of gathering evidence and waiting on OH.

Any advice from people who've actually been through this process would mean a lot — I'm feeling pretty lost right now.

Rachel_Scope

Hi sorry you haven't had an answer. My mum got Tier 2 (NHS pension) so I asked her what her experience was.

She has MS and was absent a lot due to flare ups. She was referred to OH and they implemented reasonable adjustments, such as regular breaks and a new chair, but they didn't help. Her manager produced a report that listed all of her sickness absences and explained how she was unable to carry out her role. On her third visit to OH she saw a Dr who said she was unfit to work. It then went to an independent OH expert who decided what tier she should get.

My mum currently receives PIP as well as the pension and finds it ok to live on. Although everyone's circumstances will be different.

I hope this is somewhat helpful to you.

Bydand

https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/comment/1151883#Comment_1151883

Hi

I answered this persons question previously and offered advice as they had posted twice (separate posts)asking for advice…Their other post was headed…advice on ill health retirement.

Unfortunately as is so often the case, they have not responded again.

Scott

Rachel_Scope

Oh thanks for letting me know @Bydand and thanks for helping them out. Hopefully they were able to find the answers they needed elsewhere.