Hi
Does anybody have any information or personal experience on ill health/medical retirement and Parkinson's
thanks in anticipation
Dory
Hi Dory
all I can say to you is that I was able to take my work pension early ( at 53) through I'll health and this has allowed me to maintain a wage and reduce my working days to just two days a week. I will say that those two days are now becoming a struggle but I don't think I can afford to stop working altogether because I don't think I will get any benefits as my partner is in full time work. I know I am entitled to ESA I think it is for 1 year due to my national insurance contributions but what would happen after that. Sometimes I feel I have no quality of life because I do nothing but conserve energies for my two working days which I do enjoy but not sure what will happen when I can no longer sustain this. Best of luck
Hi I retired due to ill health 18 months ago. I felt I could no longer do my job as it should be done. I went through a very down period because of this and my employer suggested that I retire. I was sent to an independent medical assessor and a report was also submitted by my specialist. The result of this was a recommendation that I retire and I receive an enhanced pension.
Hi ive just Ill health retired from NHS got my pension tier 2 without any medical,but if you needing help as what you are entitled to get in touch with a parkinsons support worker mine was fantastic was with me ever step of the way filled my forms in for ESA was placed in support group and she made sure ii was claiming for what I am entitled to.could not have managed without her,.And I must say I am feeling a lot better since retiring hope you get sorted x
Hi
thanks for your replies. Am trying to gather as much info early on for when the time comes to put it in place, if necessary.
dort
Hi
It's very interesting what people have to say on this matter. I retired last Friday and constantly have to remember that I am not going to work in the morning so I don't have to rush around getting chores done.
So I reached my pension date last year but deferred for a year which has made a little nest egg for the future.
Half way through the year I really felt that I'd done enough and was very uncomfortable carrying on but now I'm glad I did it.
I found it very difficult getting all the forms together that I completed but they have all been received and are in the correct place. It's all a waiting game but I suppose we'll get there in the end.
didn't retire on health grounds as i had reached my retirement age when I had decided to go but it's not easy whatever you do.
All the best,
Casie
Hi above
You could contact your local disability advice service you'll find your nearest here http://www.scope.org.uk/ my local d.b.a.s helped me with advice on benefits and form filling,they also followed up the dwp on my behalf I'm sure they'll be able too give you guidance and options on whats best for you.
Or your local parkinson support worker http://www.parkinsons.org.uk/content/information-and-support-workers
Thank you all, thankfully I am still well enough to work and I figure that the longer I can work means I'm well enough to do so. I work full time in a school so am off for the Easter Hols, can you hear the cheering lol, so at least every 6/7 weeks I get at least one week off to chill out. Hopefully I will be able to cut down when the time comes rather than stop altogether.
dory
I had heard level 2 was quite difficult to get Jenny. what was your job?Did they try to relocate you? I am a nurse, and athough don't want to retire yet - I worry that I won't get it. Were you off sick for a along time and had you increased your meds etc?
HI forest i was a health care assistant in the community for 14 years was diagnosed 4yrs ago aged 52 carried on as normal working for first 3 years then started to struggle they asked me if i wanted relocating after HR and occ meeting decided i would not manage as most of my problems were due to not sleeping and condition progressing was off 5months before taking ill health retirement,Its really down to your consultants report my wrote on in his opinion i could not do any type of work and i was given tier 2 without any medical like you i had heard it was hard to get tier 2 but as PD is a progressive disease was told they really couldnt give anything less.I didnt really want to retire but so pleased i did as i feel so much better in myself .hope this helps x
From my profile page
I carried on working for 5 years until June 2010, when my employer and consultant both agreed that stopping work would allow me to concentrate on timing my meds for what I wanted to do, not just to get me through the working day, leaving me a shaking wreck in the evening and night. Fortunately, I had PHI and an excellent employers pension/sick scheme, so financially things have been settled. I'm sure this has contributed to keeping me and the family positive.
For some, work keeps us active and PD in the background a bit. I found it affected my quality of work and then I was too tired to live after work.
Employers are require to make adjustments but in the end if you can afford to, get on with retirement while you can still appreaciate life.
Contribution based ESA lasts one full tax year and is not means tested, you just neec to be affected by PD from a work related viewpoint.
Means tested ESA is available up to a certain (age 60?)
Hi Kendo
can you claim contribution based ESA as well as PIP ?
Billywhizz
I refer to the web for this type of question
If you get PIP the benefits cap doesn't apply. You can claim PIP and ESA even though ESA isn't one of the 'passported' benefits to simplify the assessment process, yet. I have read that the assessments for ESA are being used by the teams assessing PIP and vice versa, even though the criteria don't match exactly.
Here are some links that include a benefits calculator.
http://www.turn2us.org.uk/information__resources/benefits/benefits_news_and_changes/benefit_cap.aspx
Hi, I had to retire 7 years ago at age 45 diagnosed age 43 due to my consultant saying that I could not drive my Ambulance Response Car on emergencies any more as a Paramedic, but could still drive normally
they said initially tier 1 but after letters from my consultant and GP managed to get tier 2 NHS pension.
It all depends really what conditions are set into your pension, I would recommend serious investigastionds into all aspects of your pension.
Hi
My husband was medically retired with full pension in 2004 at the age of 44. He was diagnosed at the age of 40, but was going back and forward to his doctors for 2 years prior and was continually told he had arthritis.
He and the company he worked for decided between them that he could no longer do the job he was employed for. The work was great and worked with ATOS and himself for 4 years adapting hours, duties and time off to attend hospital appointments etc.
I myself worked full time up until I was made redundant in October last year, which in a way is a god send as working up to 14hrs a day and being up and down with my husband during the night was a strain. I also had to try and keep to a routine with my husband which was knocked about a good few times due to the nature of my job. It knocked his routine for six and on a good few occasions meant I had to get him up and dressed about 4am which until I stopped working realised how much it affected him being out of routine.
At the moment he still gets DLA (Low carer and high mobility) which he received after he retired.
Hi Dory,
I was working in a school (non teaching role) until last year. I got to the stage where I could no longer manage the job to due fluctuations in my Pd. I went through the ill health retirement process and was able to get my pension early. I can give you more details if you want them (although each case is individually assessed).
Hi Nicole you were diagnosed very young and about same time as me if it is now nine years on DX 2006.
Land how are things at the moment ?
Hi JUJU glad to see that you got your pension enhanced as I did in the NHS. You look very young if you do not mind me saying so, how are you coping 2 years on is it now ??
I had to fight to get ill health retirement as they were talking about dismissal due to medical incapability!. I taught in Primary School, covering classes when teachers were on release time or at a training etc. They then decided to make my post redundant and put me on the redeployment register!. My consultant was my saviour as he wrote to the authority recommending ill health retirement. They couldn't ignore this letter and I was sent for an independent medical review where the consultant was clear I would be unlikely to work again and I was put on Tier 1. It was more than I expected but I was so relieve that nearly 8 months of worry was finally over and I could get on with my life.
Very very pleased you got it sorted and yes a consultants letter can work wonders, after all they are the definitive experts in their field : )