Hi, my name is Yvonne I need advise on ill health retirement. I am 45 years old...

Options
wateengedoe
wateengedoe Online Community Member Posts: 1 Listener
edited April 6 in Work

I need advise on ill health retirement. I am 45 years old. My first application with UNUM health via my employer was declined. I now want to appeal with additional evidence. I delivered strong evidence already, but I feel if I don't supply new evidence, they will gaslight and undermine my health conditions and application again. I have been through a similar process with my PIP application, it was horrendous. I got it in the end with an appeal. So sad that I have to battle again with my ill health retirement application. If someone has dealt with UNUM before or knows how you need to write a letter for ill health retirement in the way they cannot gaslight it with silly reasoning, please can you help me?.

Tagged:

Comments

  • Rosie_Scope
    Rosie_Scope Posts: 6,083 Scope Online Community Coordinator

    Hi @wateengedoe, sorry you haven't had a response to this yet. How are you getting on with pursuing your ill health retirement?

    Have you had any contact with ACAS? Sometimes they can offer advice and support on your workplace rights. Hope you managed to get something sorted.

    Acas | Making working life better for everyone in Britain

  • Bydand
    Bydand Online Community Member Posts: 240 Empowering
    edited April 4
    https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/129118/hi-my-name-is-yvonne-i-need-advise-on-ill-health-retirement-i-am-45-years-old

    Hi, I have no experience with UNUM ( never even heard of them) but have gone through the IHR process with the civil service.

    I guess my first question would be how long ago were you notified of your unsuccessful application as there are usually very strict timeframes in which you can appeal (usually days or weeks). Your original post was back in Feb and it looks like you might have edited it today possibly. Are you aware there are likely time limits to appealing?

    My second point is that having an illness or condition that causes you work related issues isn’t on its own enough, probably millions of employees go to work suffering from some illness or condition and they just get on with it…..EVERY pension provider will look at permanency of both the condition and the symptoms and to be successful in your application there can be absolutely no doubt in relation to both.

    Most employees applying for IHR will have had years of sick periods, return to work plans, reasonable adjustments put in place and had those adjustments be unsuccessful before applying. These will usually form a part of the IHR decision making process as it shows a recorded timeline of illness.

    It is not a case of gaslighting you or you believing they have silly reasons not to award you IHR and if that’s your attitude I can say it won’t help you moving forward, you need to see things from both perspectives with a calm head…..it may be, based on the evidence you provided at the time that you simply do not in fact meet their criteria, but I’m guessing that you should have received a report indicating the reasons why your application was unsuccessful so you will have an idea why.

    the pension provider associated with your employer will have very strict criteria that they follow and will mark your evidence and testimony accordingly to their criteria…..you cannot just write a letter because you feel you have been hard done by and don’t agree with the outcome…. you need to look at appealing as per their guidance and providing evidence that they cannot refute. You cannot appeal on principle alone. Your employer or pension provider should have policies which quite clearly lay out the protocols and criteria for IHR.

    But first step would be to look at how long you have to appeal.

    But as stated I have no idea about UNUM

Categories