off sick on half pay offered vss redundancy

help, this is for a friend.she has been off sick since april 2010.currently she is on half pay from work.she is not likely to be returning to work as she has had a stroke and wheelchair bound.she also has quite alot of other medical conditions.the opportunity for vss redundancy has arisen at work she has been advised to take it.she is unsure if she accepts vss redundancy if she can claim benefits as she is sick and if so is their a time limit before she can.she has a claim for dla going through and awaiting a outcome this was done through a disability agency and she was told they expect her to get hrc &hrm for her needs.i would appericate any advice

snowy21 wrote:

help, this is for a friend.she has been off sick since april 2010.currently she is on half pay from work.she is not likely to be returning to work as she has had a stroke and wheelchair bound.she also has quite alot of other medical conditions.the opportunity for vss redundancy has arisen at work she has been advised to take it.she is unsure if she accepts vss redundancy if she can claim benefits as she is sick and if so is their a time limit before she can.she has a claim for dla going through and awaiting a outcome this was done through a disability agency and she was told they expect her to get hrc &hrm for her needs.i would appericate any advice

before looking at redundancy the first port of call IMO should be is she in a company pension one that could retire her on ill health grounds with a pension

yes she is in a company pension but only about 6yrs.she thinks it will payout about £20 a wk if she was to get it.she been told she has to accept within nxt few days as it will come in force on the 1 dec.how is ill health retirement better than vss redundancy?can she get both at the same time? she been told pension pays out at age of 55yrs and she is 54 yrs old.is this different for ill health grounds?thanks for your help

Is your friend a member of a trade union or professional association? If so she could contact them for advice. If not she should contact the HR/personnel service for her employer & ask for advice from them.
Depending on the type of pension she may be better off in the long run with ill health retirement but it is likely she will need to satisfy the trustees of the pension scheme that she is unlikely ever to be able to work again. Also it may be possible for her to take redundancy now & apply at a later for early payment of her pension on the grounds of ill health.
IMO it is vital your friend seeks informed advice asap. Good luck to you both.
maggie

snowy21 wrote:

yes she is in a company pension but only about 6yrs.she thinks it will payout about £20 a wk if she was to get it.she been told she has to accept within nxt few days as it will come in force on the 1 dec.how is ill health retirement better than vss redundancy?can she get both at the same time? she been told pension pays out at age of 55yrs and she is 54 yrs old.is this different for ill health grounds?thanks for your help

some pensions have a system that if your retiring on ill health they pay out more than you might expect, as some pensions for ill health are bumped up

as for getting both sometimes getting a pension can mean you dont get certain benefits

thanks its all a bit confusing for her. sorry to ask i not good with abbreviations what does IMO mean?
do you know if she cant get the pension on ill health until next yr and she accepts redundancy can she claim ib or ema straight away or does she have to wait after 6mths not sure how that works?