employment decisions

Hi all,can anyone share work experience issues with MS,my position is that I have ppms and work fulltime in retail,I am struggling now everyday this with the aid of a electric wh chair.

What would my options be were I had to quit my job through ill health,I have a mortgage which I could just about pay off.

Does anyone have any dealings re retirement and what they do now,I am 47 yrs old.

thanks for any advice

I presume you do not pay into an occupational pension scheme. If; as I fear you do not the national pension scheme is NOT brought forward and you do not have a works pension.

I am certainly no expert on this but I would ring the Benefit Advisory number 0800 882200 to see what benefits/allowances you are entitled to; I presume you already claim DLA but there will be others.

Also give TPAS a call http://www.pensionsadvisoryservice.org.uk/contact-us to see if I’m talking crap as usual.

Another presumption; I presume you checked your house insurance if it covers ‘critical illness.’

George

Hi,

The usual route to ill health retirement is to go off sick first.
It depends on your employment contract what your sick pay situation is.
Your employer will probably make up your SSP to full pay for a time and then half pay for a time. At the end of these time periods a decision usually has to be made regarding your return to work. If you are still too sick to return to work you can make an application to receive your occupational pension early.

If you don’t have a work pension there isn’t a state retire early scheme. You have to wait until normal retirement age for your pension. If you are of working age but not able to work due to ill health you have to apply for Employment Support Allowance.

ESA is a very complex benefit but you can get lots of help and info from www.benefitsandwork.co.uk It costs £20…00 a year to join but is worth every penny.

Do you already get DLA? If not the above website will help with a claim for this too.

George has suggested paying off your mortgage with payment protection if you have it. Lots of people fail to do this even when they are eligible.

Other benefits that you can apply for are almost all means tested and will depend on your financial situation such as savings, working partner, occupational pension etc.

A good place to get a broad strokes idea about your entitlements without having to actually see anyone is www.turn2us.org.uk

Jane