Ill Health Retirement

Officers considering ill health retirement should get advice regarding their specific medical situation and speak with their line management and force. PFEW train representatives in the ill health retirement provisions and local Branch Boards can assist officers in this regard.

Members retiring from active service would be dealt with under the 2015 regulations.

The 2015 scheme operates a two-tier ill health retirement pension. If an officer is found to be permanently medically unfit for the ordinary duties of a police officer by the Selected Medical Practitioner (SMP) they meet the medical criteria for the lower tier ill health pension. To meet the medical criteria for the higher tier pension they would need to be permanently disabled for regular employment (an average of 30 hours a week over a 52-week period).

The criteria for the 1987 pension and its automatic enhancement would be met with the criteria being met for a standard tier 2015 pension.

The 2006 pension would be paid at the standard tier and any applicable higher tier would be paid from the 2015 pension.

Remember the SMP makes the medical decision, the Police Pension Authority decide whether the officer will be medically retired. Officers who meet the medical criteria can be retained.

A separate injury award can be claimed once an officer has ceased being a police officer and it must be shown that the permanent medical unfitness was caused or substantially contributed to be an injury on duty. An injury on duty can be claimed without membership of the pension.

The medical decisions around permanence, injury on duty, degree of disablement and the tier of the pension can all be appealed to a Police Medical Appeals Board (PMAB).  

Survivor Benefits

This is an important topic and there are different provisions in the different schemes.

As mentioned before, the death in service grant is three times average pensionable pay. It can only be paid from the active pension scheme which is now the 2015 scheme.

It would be paid to an officer’s surviving spouse or civil partner in the first instance and if there is no such person then a declared partner. If there is not a declared partner then it would be paid to a person nominated by the officer and finally if none of the above apply to the executor of the will to form part of the estate.

Nomination forms can be obtained from the force Pension Administrators.

There is enhanced death in service payments for officers who die as a result of an injury on duty. These are detailed in the Police Injury Benefit Regulations 2006 which can be found in the resources section.

Survivor Pensions

1987 pensions only paid to spouse or civil partner. An officer needs to be married or in a civil partnership at the time of death for a survivor pension to be payable.

Post retirement marriages and civil partnerships still attract a survivor’s benefit but only for service post 6 April 1978.

A survivor pension is 50% of the officer’s gross pension, even if they commuted.

If a spouse or civil partner cohabits or remarries once in receipt of a survivor pension then the pension is withdrawn. It can be reinstated if cohabitation ceases or no longer married.

Children receive 18.75% of the gross pension and can do so up to their 23^rd birthday if in full time education. There are provisions for this to be extended for children with a disability. Only a maximum of 37.5% would be payable at any one time.

2006 and 2015 pensions also have the ability to submit a partner declaration and they would then receive a survivor pension of 50%. The same terms as the 1987 pension apply to marriage and civil partnerships.

2006 and 2015 pensions do not have the cohabitation/remarry clause for spouses, civil partners or partners and thus are payable for life.

Children have the same provisions as in the 1987 scheme but they would receive 25% of the gross pension and a maximum of 50% would be payable at any one time.

Group Insurance

It is worth checking who is nominated for the death benefit on the Group Insurance policy, this can be done through the Local Federation office.