Ill health retirement

New Police Pension Scheme 2006 (NPPS 2006)

Your pension may be paid if you leave service due to ill health or disability. You will not be able to exchange any of the lump sum for pension.

Process

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary must select a duly qualified medical practitioner and ask them:

  • whether you are disabled for the ordinary duties of a member of the police force, and if it's likely to be permanent
  • whether you are also disabled for engaging in any other regular employment, and if it's likely to be permanent

It will be assumed that you are receiving appropriate treatment, but this does not include treatment that it would be reasonable for you to refuse. The medical practitioner will consider issues such as your ability to:

  • run, walk reasonable distances and stand for reasonable period
  • exercise reasonable physical force in restraint and retention in custody
  • sit for reasonable periods, write, read, use the phone and use (or learn to use) IT
  • make decisions and report situations to others
  • evaluate information and record details
  • understand, retain and explain facts and procedures

The medical practitioner's opinion will be based on an examination unless there are very exceptional circumstances. Even if you are considered permanently disabled for ordinary duties, you may not receive an ill health pension. The police authority will consider your specific disabilities and overall capabilities to see whether there are any alternative duties which you could undertake as a police officer.

Ill health pension

There are two levels of ill health pension, a standard ill health pension and an enhanced top-up pension. You must normally have contributed to the NPPS for at least two years to qualify, unless you received your injury (without your own default) in the execution of your duty.

An ill health pension cannot be more than half (35/70) of your final pay, plus a lump sum worth four times the annual pension.

You cannot receive an ill health pension if you are ineligible, even if you leave on ill health grounds. Your authority would have informed you of this following a medical examination, when you joined or re-joined the NPPS.

Standard ill health pension

A standard ill health pension is not enhanced. You may receive a standard ill health pension if:

  • you are found to be permanently disabled for the ordinary duties of a police officer but
  • not permanently disabled for any other regular employment and
  • there are no alternative duties you could do, taking into account your disability and capabilities

Enhanced top-up ill health pension

You may receive a top-up pension if:

  • you are found to be permanently disabled for the ordinary duties of a police officer and
  • permanently disabled for any other regular employment

The pension will be enhanced depending on how much service you have:

  • Less than five years: actual service x 4, but the enhancement cannot exceed half the prospective service
  • Five or more years: half the prospective service from retirement to 35 years' service, or age 55 if sooner
Ill health gratuity

An ill health gratuity will be paid if you contributed to the NPPS for less than two years and retire due to permanent disablement. The gratuity will be at least equal to your total pension contributions and it will be taxable.

Injury awards

If you become permanently disabled as a result of being injured on duty, you may qualify for an ward under the Police (Injury Benefit) Regulations. These are not part of the NPPS.