long term illness question

[freespirit]

Hi i have been off work now for 5 months, i am still unsure whats wrong with me as it has took this long to see a specialist, anyways i need to go for an mri scan next month so hopefully should find out whats officially wrong with me, i have arm and leg weakness as well as shoulder/neck/hand/foot pain and balance issues, i am just hopeing its not MS or tumor or something, anyways Royal Mail sent me a letter today saying that my ssp is coming to an end and to get benefit from the job centre, now i was just wondering how long can you stay employed off sick for? i do intend on coming back i just hope it is something fixable, but i currently can not do anything like lifting etc, i am worried that because ssp has ended that they might get rid of me, can they do that? if so do they pay you off? and also if i manage to come back will i still be on same duty or can they change it? i should imagine i will probably need to go on rehab duty for a while but is my main duty safe?

any advice appreciated

Thanks

[Mercian]

As far as I know you should get 6 months at full pay and then 6 months at half pay from Royal Mail. You can also speak with HR and get possibly extend full pay by using any Holiday entitlement you have (this has been done at my office).
Hope this helps

[turkeyboy]

6 months full pay,then you drop to half pay but you also need to be aware that after 9 months off work through ill health, they can medicaly retire you

[easter bunny]

it is 6 months full pay while on sick leave , however that is based on the last 3 years sick leave you have had. as you said you will get a letter off payroll giving you a months notice on this happening. Even though you will be on half pay do you get ssp which is approx £70 a week . that is based on what NI you have paid over the years. it is also paid in arrears. That is for the next 6 months.
However, I make it a long odds on chance that the atos doctor will call you in for an assesment. They will make one of four results out of that.
1. Return to work on your existing duty.
2. Return to work on a rehab plan.
3. ill health retirement with lump sum- that if according to the doctor they cannot see you working for 9 months.
4. ill health retirement with pension - that if according to the doctor they cannot see you working for the rm or another employer for ten years. otherwise number 3 would result.

You should also make sure your condition is covered under the dda. The works doctor will help you that.
All the above are subject to appeal , also your own GP should be consulted.
Number 3 should give you 12 weeks full pay plus 33 weeks plus leave plus shares.
Number 4 leaves you in clover. your pension will be increased depending on your age by 75 percent on what the full pension you would have received by 60. this gets increased to 65 in april. so if you like me just recently retired my 18 years 6 months gets increased to nearly 37 years due to my age (36)

I cant speak for every case but ATOS were superb for me and when I received the letter about half pay (it will leave you about £50 a week worse off when including the ssp) everything was sorted in a week .

Warning, if you do go back to work and go sick in the next 3 years you will only receive half pay.

I am pretty sure of that.
Get back if you need any more help.

[freespirit]

Hi and thanks for reply especially Easter Bunny, i am a little confused as i will have had 6 months full pay soon but Royal Mail have never said anything about being on half pay, all they did was sent me a job centre form ssp1 and told me ssp was ending 15th Jan, so i assumed i will not get any more money from them and i need to claim benefit instead, having said that i have just phoned HR and they said i will get half pay, so this is what i dont get the letter says ssp is coming to an end but then how comes i can claim benefit, i have told job centre i will not be receiving anymore ssp so do they call the half pay it something else?

Would appreciate if someone on here has been in similar situation to set me right on this, do i get both?

Thanks

[easter bunny]

You will get half pay plus SSP. That is based on what contributions you have made (national insurance ) over the years. Surprised when HR sent you the form they didnt state how much SSP you would be receiving. The 2 amounts cannot be more than you would receive on a bare week.
The bad news is that ATOS will be under pressure to make a decision on your long term future. There are not many people who have more than 6 months off without a final decision about their future.
Finally anything you tell ATOS you should tell your own GP and vive versa. They can get access to your medical records (with your consent that is ).