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Has anyone heard of health retirement?

sben
sben Community member Posts: 43 Connected
edited September 2021 in Work and employment
Has anybody heard of health retirement?
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  • wilko
    wilko Community member Posts: 2,458 Disability Gamechanger
    @sben, hello and welcome, do you mean having to retire earlier than the normal retirement age. This is generally termed as medically retired when a person is unable to continue working due to a deterioration in their health and no hope of every being fit or able to return to any form of employment. I had my employment terminated as I was unable to return to my normal work situation ( farming) so effectively medically retired having being diagnosed with MS. I was claiming ESA till my actual retirement date then claimed UC to gain my legacy benefits.
  • Tori_Scope
    Tori_Scope Scope Posts: 12,488 Disability Gamechanger
    Hi @sben :) This is something people have posted about before. Did you have a specific question you wanted to ask? We'd be happy to try and help! 
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  • sben
    sben Community member Posts: 43 Connected
    Over a month ago, a GP told me to consider health retirement because of my disability and mobility, but I have never heard of health retirement.
  • janer1967
    janer1967 Community member Posts: 21,964 Disability Gamechanger
    Hi there @sben

    Ill health retirement is when as advised above you are no longer able to work due to illness before you reach normal retirement age 

    You need to be in a pension and the eligibility is down to the pension provider 

    There are quite strict requirements to qualify which include medical assessment with pension provider doctor 

    I suggest you look at your pension website 

    I suggest you see your hr department for advice also 

    They can refer you to oh who can do a work place assessment and recommend options for your future employment 

    This is usually the first step towards ill health retirement 

    If this isn't an option and you don't want to involve your pension you can consider medical dismissal 

    This means there is no longer any suitable work within the company you work for 

    Some companies offer a compensation package though this isn't a legal obligation 

    Again speak to hr 

    Sorry if this is a lot of information but do ask any more questions 


  • Tori_Scope
    Tori_Scope Scope Posts: 12,488 Disability Gamechanger
    Hi @sben,

    According to MoneyHelper:
    What is ill-health retirement?

    Ill-health retirement is when you can access your pension early because of poor health. You’ll sometimes see this referred to as medical retirement or retirement on medical grounds.

    If you have a private or workplace pension, you might be able to begin taking an income and/or lump sums from your pension at any age due to ill health. The normal minimum retirement age of 55 doesn’t apply.

    Different pension schemes have different rules, so ask your pension provider or scheme administrator for details. Some allow you to access your pension early if it looks as if you won’t be able to return to your job due to physical or mental illness. Other schemes might require that you won’t be able to do any job, not just your own.

    In cases of serious ill health where your life expectancy is less than one year, you might be able to take all your pension as a tax-free lump sum.

    You’ll need to provide supporting medical evidence if you want to access your pension due to ill health.

    If you have an income protection plan (also known as permanent health insurance), you need to seriously consider whether you choose to access your pension. This is because any income you get from your pension could reduce the payments from the income protection plan. You should also check whether accessing your pension may affect eligibility for state benefits. 

    Do you know what kind of pension scheme you're on?

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  • sben
    sben Community member Posts: 43 Connected
    I am not on any pension scheme, and I have not been working for 7 years, due to me constanly having seizures, and having a gait disorder, which affects my mobility.
  • janer1967
    janer1967 Community member Posts: 21,964 Disability Gamechanger
    In that case this isn't an option so don't know what your gp is on about .

    If you have no private or company pension then you can't retire 

    You will be able to claim state pension when you reach state retirement age 


  • Lisatho11987777
    Lisatho11987777 Scope Member Posts: 5,911 Disability Gamechanger
    If you have a pension though you can access it at the age of 55 if you wanted to 
  • janer1967
    janer1967 Community member Posts: 21,964 Disability Gamechanger
    @lisathomas50 as stated above the op is not in a pension scheme sben said:
    I am not on any pension scheme, and I have not been working for 7 years, due to me constanly having seizures, and having a gait disorder, which affects my mobility.

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