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Ill-health retirement

If you have to leave work at any age due to permanent ill-health which prevents you from doing your job and you have at least two years' Scheme membership, you may benefit from the Scheme's tiered ill-health retirement package.

To qualify for ill-health benefits, NILGOSC must be satisfied that you:

  • are permanently incapable of doing your own job, and  
  • have a reduced likelihood of being capable of doing any other job before your normal pension age.

NILGOSC’s decision is based on a report from its independent registered medical practitioner qualified in occupational health medicine.

Ill-health benefits can be paid at any age and are not reduced due to early payment. The amount of benefits that you will receive depends on the severity of your illness.

  • Tier 1
    If you are considered unlikely to be capable of undertaking any gainful employment before your normal pension age you will receive all of the pension benefits that you have built up plus an enhancement of 100% of the pension that you would have built up in the main section of the Scheme to your normal pension age. This enhancement is calculated using your assumed pensionable pay.
  • Tier 2
    If you are considered likely  to become capable of undertaking any gainful employment before your normal pension age you will receive all of the pension benefits that you have built up plus an enhancement of 25% of the pension that you would have built up in the main section of the Scheme to your normal pension age. This enhancement is calculated using your assumed pensionable pay.

Gainful employment is paid employment for at least 30 hours per week for a minimum of 12 months.

Permanently incapable means that you will be incapable until at least your normal pension age.