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advice sought - early retirement due to ill health

MandyH

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Pete, please remove this if you don't think it's relevant.

My older sister is 46, was diagnosed with MS 11 years ago, and is can just about walk 5 - 10 paces with crutches or a zimmer frame.
She works full time as a civil servant, and has just been refused medical retirement, apparently because she is still managing to get to work every day. It seems that she needs to take 6-12 months off sick before she might get approved for medical retirement. She has to take medical retirement before she is 50.

I'm looking for places to go for advice and help on what she really needs to do, and the best way to approach it. She's very much a "play things by the book" person. As she can no longer hold a pen to write, there is no point in her trying to make phone calls, and I want to be able to give her a resume of information, rather than info overload.

She's just got herself into a lovely accessible ground floor flat, after nearly 8 months of living in a 5th floor flat with an intemittent lift failure, so she had become very down. Now that she's recovering I don't want her to get down about this too.

Thanks for any advice.
 
Sorry Mandy, no advice from me, just a virtual "Hug"



I hope things go well for your sister, I feel she's lucky to have you on her side.
 
Hi Mandy.

I'll try and find time to have a chat with my friend Pete, who is a similar age to your sister and has had MS for a number of years. He is still able to move about with a stick and also still works P/T for his firm. He should know the score and any agencies worth contacting. Leave it with me.

Kind regards to you both
Tom
 
Sorrry Mandy, nothing to add from me except another virtual hug.

I do remember that getting put off on permanent sick leave is really difficult. It's a huge cost for the insurance company and there's always the hope that people can still work, even in a reduced/changed fashion.
 
Presumably you (plural) have enquired at the MS society although local groups seem to be leaving since "professional" managers took over.A cousin of mine had creeping paralysis as it was known before the MS title became accepted. Surely her doctor and her union should be able to weigh in but a society where Fred the Shred walks off with a fat pension after ruining NatWest, Vodaphone have a cosy arrangement with the top tax and customs man to let them pay £2M on a £6B profit, maybe it is only the little people like us, the non Eton-ites, that care.
 
Mandy,
The Civil Service Occupational Health Service can be pretty tough on things like this. As you say, if she can still get to work and perform her dutes they are unlikely to recommend ill-health retirement. Six months on full pay followed by 6 months half pay might be the way. Or, in the present climate, doesn't her Department have a voluntary redundancy scheme as a way of cutting numbers?They usually work out pretty well financially. Otherwise, if she can hang on, they might offer early voluntary retirement at 50 or, if she's lucky, compulsory retirement.
YC
 
M.S.

Hi MandyH

I was not expecting to find this post here. I am so sorry to hear about your sister.
Where to start ?? My partner and mother to our two children, has a very aggressive form of M.S. She was medically retired form her Job about 6 years ago. She is now 45. I would tell your sister to talk to her G.P...and get signed off work Immediately. You have to go through this whole process and it will all start with your sisters G.P. Whoever your sister works for will eventually appoint an Independent Dr ...who will be responsible for medically retiring her . This can take some time as they seem quite reluctant to want to do this, as it will Cost ££ them to do so. They will also want to see all of her notes/scans from her Neurologist.

As far as I know ....even if she has relapsing/remitting M.S It is near impossible for them to refuse to do so.

If you ever need anything else whatsoever please do P.M. me. I have been dealing with this for some time now and have become a reluctant expert on all things M.S.

My Kind Regards to you and your sister.

Ricky
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Many thanks to all for your kind words. I've got a few ideas, and will be following up those who have offered advice, especially Ricky.
Many thanks once again.
 
Hi Mandy

She needs to get expert advice not just on her condition but also on dealing with the employment situation she is in. There are two prime sources of this advice. Firstly, if she's a union member, this is one of the key membership benefits. The PCS in particuar have a very good, supportive role in this area. Secondly, many civil service departments have employee assistance programmes, often provided by Right CoreCare. If she is eligible for support by an EAP, she should call them today - they are skilled in both health matters generally, and navigating through the system.

Good luck to her, and if you need any help in finding contact details for these groups, drop me a PM.

Jon
 
Just a follow up to this... my sister phoned this morning to say that the doctor who re-assessed her recently has agreed that she is no longer capable of doing her job properly. Her GP is ready to sign her off work with immediate effect, but she has a couple of projects she wishes to tie-up over the next 3 weeks (which both happen to co-incide with her needing to visit the towns that both me and our other sister live in!).
Assuming she's in agreement with the assessment (err, now let's think about this... yep...!?!?) she has 3 months in which to take-up their offer of medical retirement.
She was confident that "playing by the book" was the right route and she has been vindicated.
Many thanks to all those who offered help and advice.
 
Good to hear that it's sorted. Now she's going to need even more help and care.... Thinking of you all!
 
Glad that that is going well but still remember my blood running cold when an MS sufferer I was assessing for further MoH lessons said, "Sometimes I feel so tired I can't hold my head up."

Trust that her support from her Council is far better than ours.
 
Just a follow up to this... my sister phoned this morning to say that the doctor who re-assessed her recently has agreed that she is no longer capable of doing her job properly. Her GP is ready to sign her off work with immediate effect, but she has a couple of projects she wishes to tie-up over the next 3 weeks (which both happen to co-incide with her needing to visit the towns that both me and our other sister live in!).
Assuming she's in agreement with the assessment (err, now let's think about this... yep...!?!?) she has 3 months in which to take-up their offer of medical retirement.
She was confident that "playing by the book" was the right route and she has been vindicated.
Many thanks to all those who offered help and advice.

Hi Mandy

Wishing all the best for your sister. Hopefully she will soon have time to concentrate on keeping herself well.:)

My Kind Regards to you both.

Ricky
 
Hi Mandy
apologies for late reply, I haven't logged on for a while. For the future it may be worth looking at www.asksara.org.uk. If your sister isn't aware of this site they offer advice on daily living, which does have some useful links, such as health, daily activities and products to make life more manageable in the home
Regards
Lee
 
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