About ill health retirement

If during your teaching career, you become ill and are unable to work you can apply for ill health retirement.

As long as you've qualified for benefits, the ill health retirement provisions could allow you to access your pension before your normal pension age.

There are two types of ill health retirement available to members of the Scottish Teachers’ pension schemes:

• Partial Incapacity Benefits can be granted if you’re assessed as being permanently unable to teach but able to undertake other employment.
• Total Incapacity Benefits can be granted if, as well as being permanently unable to teach, you’re assessed as having your ability to carry out any work impaired by more than 90% (and likely permanently to be so in the future).

Ill health pensions are protected against inflation and are increased annually in line with the Consumer Price Index.

Understanding the difference between the types of ill health retirement

Partial Incapacity Benefits can be granted if you’re assessed as being permanently unable to teach but able to undertake other employment. Partial Incapacity Benefits are based on your service accrued to the date of retirement with no enhancement for service you would have completed had you been able to continue working.

Total Incapacity Benefits can be granted if, as well as being permanently unable to teach, you’re assessed as having your ability to carry out any work impaired by more than 90% (and likely permanently to be so in the future). The total amount of enhancement you may receive if you’re awarded Total Incapacity Benefits is half the service you could have completed before your normal pension age.

Ill health retirement criteria

If you're still employed and you're considering applying for ill health retirement, you'll need to speak with your employer to confirm that they'll support your application.

They may then arrange for occupational health support and look at options that could help you remain or return to work.

This could include things like reducing your hours, re-deployment, less responsibility or other workplace adjustments.

As part of the procedure, you must provide medical evidence that your illness permanently prevents you from teaching.

The cost of providing medical evidence is a matter between you and your employer.

If you have not been in service long enough to qualify for ill-Health benefits you can apply for a Short-Service Incapacity Grant. You must have at least one year of pensionable employment to your credit and you must apply within 12 months of leaving reckonable service. In these cases, the incapacity grant is 1/12 of your final pensionable salary for the length of your reckonable service (years and days).

How to apply

If you're still employed and you're considering applying for ill health retirement, you'll need to speak with your employer to confirm that they'll support your application.

If you are still employed you should obtain the application form from your employer. You complete part one with your employer and the other is for the medical evidence to support your application.

If Occupational Health will not support your application you should complete the Medical Report form, this can be completed by a GP or specialist clinician.

A completed Application for Ill Health Benefits form along with additional information required by our medical advisers (such as job description, sickness absence records) this must be sent to us through your employer.

Once all information is received it will be forwarded to our medical advisers who are an independent body specialising in occupational health. Their objective assessment is based on the evidence provided with your application so it’s vital to submit as much relevant evidence as possible when you apply.

If, for any reason, you don’t agree with the decision our medical advisers make on your case, or if you have any grounds for a complaint, you should ask us to review your application under the Internal Dispute Resolution Procedures.

Ill-health retirement for deferred members

If you're no longer employed as a teacher you can contact SPPA for the application form and the medical form you'll need to complete and return to us.

If you left pensionable teaching within 24 months of submitting your application, the medical information sections of your application form must be completed by your former employer as you will be treated as if you were still an active member.

Ill-Health benefits for deferred members are paid at the Partial Incapacity Benefits level and, if approved, are payable from date receipt of application.

If you’re not in pensionable employment and you’re not on sick leave or parental leave, and this is past the 24 month period, only Partial Incapacity Benefit can be granted and your service will not be enhanced, you must meet the criteria for Total Incapacity Benefit.

Ill-Health benefits cannot be awarded to a teacher who has been barred for misconduct or who is under investigation with a view to barring. Where a teacher under investigation is not subsequently barred, and an application for Ill-Health benefits is accepted, the benefits will be backdated.

If you have not been in service long enough to qualify for ill-Health benefits you can apply for a Short-Service Incapacity Grant. You must have at least one year of pensionable employment to your credit and you must apply within 12 months of leaving reckonable service. In these cases, the incapacity grant is 1/12 of your final pensionable salary for the length of your reckonable service (years and days).

Terminal illness benefits

If you become terminally ill, you may be able to take your benefits immediately as a lump sum. If you qualify you’ll receive a payment of five times your annual pension.

You must chose this option when you first apply for ill health retirement as a lump sum can’t be granted once your pension is in payment.

Applying for ill health retirement

If you’re in employment, ask your employer for an ill health application form. If you’ve already left service, contact SPPA.