It is you as the employer, who makes the decision to a member’s employment on the grounds of ill-health. It is also you that decides whether to award Tier 1, 2 or 3 ill health retirement benefits
But, this decision cannot be made without having first obtained:
- an opinion and a completed OH3 certificate from an Independent Registered Medical Practitioner (IRMP). They must be qualified in Occupational Health medicine. The IRMP’s opinion should be provided by completing an ill-health certificate.
Narrative Reports
The Pensions Ombudsman Service (TPOS) have highlighted the importance of employers in obtaining:
- a narrative report from the IRMP in dealing with ill-health retirement cases.
Narrative reports help employers to understand the reasoning behind the medical opinion the IRMP has given.
As the decision to award an ill-health retirement is that of the employer, a full understanding of the IRMP's reasoning will be important. This minimises the risk of you:
- making a poor or flawed decision, resulting in a mal-administration claim from a member
You should make it clear at the time of commissioning the IRMP to provide a medical opinion, that you need a narrative report
Gainful employment
In the regulations, “gainful employment” means paid employment for no less than 30 hours in each week for a period of no less than 12 months.”
Providing estimates
Please note, we cannot provide an estimate until:
- an OH3 certificate is obtained
- you make a decision on which tier is to be awarded
- you tell us what date the benefits are to from
