Disability due to work incident. — Scope | Disability forum
Please read our updated community house rules and community guidelines.

Disability due to work incident.

fandrew617
fandrew617 Community member Posts: 11 Listener
edited April 2018 in Work and employment
hello, I have been off from work for fast approaching three years, due to an injury on duty. This has caused complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) in both hands and forearms. On top of this I have blistering ulcerations across both hands and forearms that bleed due to the slightest touch, change in temperature etc along with severe depression and anxiety. I can’t leave the home without my wife due to my anxiety. My employers medical officer advised me to apply for ill health retirement, which I did and was declined due to what I believe corruption on reaching their final decision. I say this as all of my medical records were ignored and an ‘independent’ doctor (who I’ve since found out isn’t so independent) decided that I was making my illness up and that their was nothing wrong with me. The effects of going through this horrendous procedure has added to my depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts. My employers claim that they cannot find any reasonable adjustments to make due to my condition and have stuck with this answer for nearly three years. They have reduced me to zero pay and I’ve been like this for a year. So I’m stuck in limbo with no support from my employer, which I’m sure they would argue they are, they “can’t” make any reasonable adjustments and they won’t retire me on ill health grounds. 

What the heck do I do from here?

This really is significantly adding to the decline of my mental health and I’m worried where this may lead to.

Any help would be greatly appreciated?

Comments

  • atlas46
    atlas46 Community member Posts: 826 Pioneering
    Hi

    You need to contact the Pensions Advisory Service on tel: 0800 011 3797.  With a view to appealing the decision of not granting you ill health retirement.

    This will be via the Pensions Ombudsman.

    Let us know the advice you get.

    Best wishes

    Atlas46
  • Pippa_Alumni
    Pippa_Alumni Scope alumni Posts: 5,793 Disability Gamechanger
    Hi @fandrew617, I'm so sorry to hear about your situation. I know how debilitating CRPS can be, and I'm sorry to hear that this wasn't acknowledged by your doctor. 

    You are a member of our community and we appreciate you. If you are having thoughts of suicide, it is important that you discuss them with someone who is qualified to help. Please call the Samaritans on 116 123 (free) or email them at jo@samaritans.org. You might also benefit from reading MIND’s information on how you can help yourself. If you feel that you may be an immediate danger to yourself, please call 999 or go to your local hospital right away.

    You've had some good advice from @atlas46 about appealing the decision. You can find out more about this process and get in touch with the Pensions Advisory Service by visiting their website. Please do keep us updated and let us know if we can be of any further assistance.

  • fandrew617
    fandrew617 Community member Posts: 11 Listener
    Hello @atlas46 and @PippaScope thank you so much for responding to me. Sadly, due to the line of my work I cannot directly approach the pensions advisory service because I have to go through the medical retirement process through my employer and the regulations set out against my nature of work. I am reluctant to say directly exactly what my line of work as I know they are already searching online activity to use against me. What I can say is that I’m one of three emergency services and I’m not a fireman or paramedic. I know this sounds far fetched but they have already used one online post in a review that I had.
  • susan48
    susan48 Community member Posts: 2,221 Disability Gamechanger
    @fandrew617

    disgusting the way you’v been treated, I do hope you get this resolved ASAP.

    best stay off social media sites!

    they will use any method the spy on you.

    good luck
  • atlas46
    atlas46 Community member Posts: 826 Pioneering
    Hi again

    Guess who else had a career in one of the blue light services - me!

    You can still speak in confidence to PAS, no matter what pension scheme you are in.

    Have you had a formal claim for ill health pension rejected?

    Did you provide your own supporting medical report, via say GP/treating Consultant/Specialist Nurse?

    If your condition is a direct result of work, you should be also be applying for Injur

    We are hear to help you in anyway we can.
  • fandrew617
    fandrew617 Community member Posts: 11 Listener
    Hi @atlas46 dare I ask what blue light service you were part of?

    if I’m honest, I’m so scared of causing any issues to my new ill health retirement application, that i wouldn’t feel comfortable approaching them just in case my employer gets wind of it.

    I have had one application for ill health retirement rejected based on lies that an ‘independent’ doctor made at my appeals board. I am genuinely distraught beyond belief still about this result because I had medical evidence from more than 20+ medical professionals who all had the same diagnosis and outcome.

    Every time I’m asked to provide a further piece of evidence, I do and then they make another request for something else which has already been provided.

    This has directly caused my mental health to severely decline and has on many occasions fuelled my suicidal thoughts to the point of nearly taking my own life.

    They claim they can’t make any reasonable adjustments to get me back to work, yet their own employed medical professional states I’m not fit to work.........I can’t win and I have zero options to take.

    I need help, badly.
  • fandrew617
    fandrew617 Community member Posts: 11 Listener
    Hi @Username_removed I have been successful with my industrial injuries disablement benefit and I am currently assessed at 85% disabled. I tried to start a personal injury claim and the solicitor said I wouldn’t be able to claim because I couldn’t identify who it was that caused the injury, which I’m still unsure is correct.
  • fandrew617
    fandrew617 Community member Posts: 11 Listener
    I’m afraid it’s already three years past the injury date @Username_removed although I wasn’t aware that it had to be done within three years? Just sums up my bad luck really.

Brightness