Ill health retirement

You can return to work in the NHS following early or ill-health retirement, however, if you are receiving an NHS pension you will need to bear in mind the income restrictions for future NHS employment. A second stage appeal must be submitted using form DRP2 within six months of receiving the decision on the first stage appeal. Note that it is no longer possible to request payment of an actuarially reduced early retirement pension when appealing Tier 1 decisions. If you are no longer in NHS service but want to apply for an ill-health pension, you can apply directly to the relevant NHS pensions agency. If you have provided sufficient medical evidence, this will happen automatically and you will automatically be awarded a Tier 2 pension. Once the pensions agency has received the AW8 form, it will usually take approximately 8-12 weeks before you will receive your pension.

It cannot be paid until your contract has been terminated, and will be backdated to your termination date or date of application (whichever is later). You should not rely on evidence being provided only by your GP, as the scheme’s medical advisers are unlikely to accept this as sufficiently robust evidence of permanent incapacity for work. This is not a claim for your pension, but a request to see what you would be granted if you were to go on to make a claim.

RCN Country Sites

• Ideally, the possibility of an IHR application should be discussed in absence management meetings.
• See the Country-specific links section below for the relevant guidance and forms for each country,
• Members must provide detailed personal information, medical reports supporting their health condition, and relevant employment details.

(See the Country-specific links section below for the relevant guidance for each country.) NHS pension is regarded as income for the purposes of assessing PIB. Your pension is as above but with an enhancement equivalent to 2/3rds of your prospective service to normal benefit age, or 1/2 prospective service if you are in the 2015 section of the scheme. You are advised not to do this as you will relinquish any potential entitlement to contractual notice pay or accrued annual leave. Getting the timings right in your application can feel difficult.

What is a serious ill health lump sum?

You may also want to consult your Total Reward/Annual Benefit Statement to check your pension value. We recommend that you obtain an estimate of your pension based on IHR from your pension provider or your employer.

Please be aware that your employment can be terminated on ill-health grounds prior to any application/decision about IHR. Any old or outdated versions of the forms received after 1 November 2020 will be rejected. This form requires careful attention to ensure all sections are accurately filled out, as incomplete or incorrect submissions could delay the application process. NHS Pensions will contact you to confirm if you qualify for ill health pension benefits.

Try to negotiate/agree that notice is not served until the initial pension decision is received. More employers now seek to serve notice of termination of contract at the same time as the IHR application is put forward. Your medical evidence should clearly say that your condition is permanent and that appropriate treatment options have been explored. See the Country-specific links aw33 login section below for the relevant guidance and forms for each country,

If this is granted you will not receive any enhancement and will only be paid a pension based on the contributions that you have made. Payment of an occupational pension does not impact on any Industrial Injuries Disablement benefit you receive from the DWP. If you are terminally ill and do not expect to live longer than a year, you can apply to exchange all of your ill-health benefits for a one-off (usually tax-free) lump sum payment. Increasingly, NHS employers are trying to avoid termination of contract on grounds of ill-health capability and are encouraging staff to resign once they have been accepted for IHR. It is only when your employer terminates your contract that you may be able to receive full pay during your notice period. You will receive a letter explaining how your pension has been calculated, including any enhancement payable, which you should check against any estimate you have previously received.

Read about your sick leave and sick pay entitlements, including absence management processes. You can find lots of information about working after IHR on the NHS BSA website. Read more about your registration and working with ill-health on the NMC’s website. Starting work after any period of unemployment (whether voluntary or not) can be daunting.

Members must provide detailed personal information, medical reports supporting their health condition, and relevant employment details. The “Ill health-AW33E” form is a crucial document used primarily for applying for ill health retirement benefits within the NHS, allowing members to access their pension early due to health conditions. Ill health retirement and serious ill health retirement formsWhat can I do if my ill health application has been rejected? This time limit may place additional pressure on you as there is almost always a need to submit additional/new medical evidence with an appeal.