Ill-health

Answer:

Accrued Benefits will be awarded if a member is permanently unable to teach but can do other work. Enhanced benefits are awarded if the member’s assessed as being unable to undertake any type of gainful employment. With Enhanced Benefits, a member’s service will only be enhanced provided they’re in service at the time of the application.

The Medical Advisors will recommend whether the member is eligible to receive Accrued Benefits before determining whether they can be awarded Enhanced Benefits. Each case will be looked at on its own merit. Applications and supporting medical evidence will be considered by Medical Advisors appointed by the Secretary of State and the final decision will be made by us.

Answer:

If only Accrued Benefits are awarded with the member assessed as being permanently unable to teach but able to do other work, then they may be able to take up a support role.

However, if the member’s awarded Enhanced Benefits, they must provide the Secretary of State with a certificate from a registered medical practitioner for their benefits to continue to be paid. This must state, that in the opinion of the medical practitioner the member must still meet the medical condition for Enhanced Benefits to be paid.

If a member is receiving Ill-health benefits, it’s because they had been judged permanently medically unfit to teach. So, if a member returns to teaching, their Ill-health pension must stop immediately.
You must be satisfied that a member’s fit to teach in the capacity required and you and the member must notify us in writing immediately, of any employment undertaken if the member is in receipt of Ill-health benefits.

If a pension’s stopped because the member returns to work, the member will only be awarded another Ill-health pension if they become ill again and satisfy us that they’re unfit to teach. Otherwise, they can retire on any other grounds at the appropriate age.

Answer:

Where a member retires with Accrued Benefits only, there’s no enhancement: the pension’s calculated based on the service the member has built up in the Scheme.

Where a member retires with Enhanced Benefits, their benefits are enhanced.

From 1 April 2022, Ill-health Retirement applications will be in the career average scheme and enhancement will be half the service to NPA, multiplied by the member’s salary and divided by 57.

Under the final salary scheme the total amount of enhancement was half the service the teacher could’ve completed before Normal Pension Age (NPA). 

For more information about this topic, please visit our Ill-health section online.