Upon receipt of the recommendation from the doctor, your employer will make a decision about the release of your pension on ill-health retirement grounds.
Your employer will also decide on the appropriate Tier of ill-health to award (based on the doctors medical recommendation).
A summary of the Tiers are detailed below:
Tier 1 - your employer determines that there is no reasonable prospect of you obtaining gainful employment before your Normal Pension Age and so your pension is enhanced by 100% of the prospective pension build-up to your Normal Pension Age.
A Tier 1 pension is paid for the rest of your life.
Tier 2 - your employer determines that, although you cannot obtain gainful employment within a reasonable period of leaving local government employment, it is likely that you will be able to obtain gainful employment before your Normal Pension Age and so your pension is enhanced by 25% of the prospective pension build-up to Normal Pension Age.
Please note: If you were a member of the LGPS on 31 March 2008 and were aged 45 or over at that time, you will receive an enhancement as applied under the Local Government Pension Scheme Regulations 1997 if better than the enhancement shown above.
A Tier 2 pension is paid for the rest of your life.
Tier 3 - your employer determines that you will obtain gainful employment within a reasonable period (defined as 3 years) and your pension built up to date can be released. There is no enhancement applied to a Tier 3 ill-health pension.
A Tier 3 ill-health pension has to be reviewed by the employer within 18 months of payment and again after 3 years. It is also important to note that you are responsible for notifying your former employer if you obtain further employment.
If after 3 years you are still incapable of gainful employment, your case can be reviewed by a qualified IRMP who can advise as to whether the benefits in payment could be 'upgraded' to a Tier 2 ill-health retirement.