PA Spine Med Discharge?

[Sandy Parts]

Cheers PoorlyPA - hopefully someone will note your case and update the relevant directives to make it so for all future PA Med Dischargees (I have my doubts on that sadly).
I know there are a LOT more PA these days since NCA were admitted to the spine so as time progresses this will certainly affect a greater number of people.

[High Average]

So having read about the problems encountered by others, I emailed the JPAC to request a medical discharge pension forecast as I am on PAS. I explained about the issues that others have experienced and how I hoped that an early forecast might prevent any issues when my med discharge is confirmed. To my surprise the JPAC have agreed to give me an early pension forecast working on an estimated discharge date and Tier 1 benefits. I also sent them a forecast obtained from the standard online pension calculator, as any med pension forecast should be slightly better than one for a standard exit. If the med pension forecast is less than the standard pension forecast, then I would hope that some alarm bells start ringing in the JPAC. Or am I expecting too much from them??!!

I'll update you all once the med pension forecast arrives in the post

[Just This Once...]

High Average Good luck!

[k3k3]

This may be of interest, taken from page 6 of the HMRC Self Assessment Guide:

UK pensions, annuities and other state benefits received Not all benefits are taxable. Do not include the following in boxes 8 to 13: • Attendance Allowance, lump sum Bereavement Support Payment or Personal Independence Payments • State Pension Credit, Working Tax Credit, Child Tax Credit or Universal Credit • additions to State Pensions or benefits for dependent children • income-related Employment and Support Allowance, Jobfinder’s Grant or Employment Zone payments • Maternity Allowance • War Widow’s Pension and some pensions paid to other forces dependants if the death in service was before 6 April 2005 • pensions and other payments for disability, injury or illness due to military service • some beneficiaries’ pensions where the member

https://assets.publishing.service.go...notes-2021.pdf

[teeteringhead]

Good spot k3k3

I had some old (attributable) injuries finally catch up with me a couple years ago. Long story short finished up assessed as 20% disabled, with a (very) small War Pension for my (minimal) troubles.

Delighted to discover that the taxman didn't get any of it! More importantly (and probably worth a bit more) I get a free Oyster card for use in London and the SE (thanks to BoJo when he was Mayor) which might be useful if you ever get to or near the Smoke.

[Mogwi]

Originally Posted by teeteringhead

Good spot k3k3

I had some old (attributable) injuries finally catch up with me a couple years ago. Long story short finished up assessed as 20% disabled, with a (very) small War Pension for my (minimal) troubles.

Delighted to discover that the taxman didn't get any of it! More importantly (and probably worth a bit more) I get a free Oyster card for use in London and the SE (thanks to BoJo when he was Mayor) which might be useful if you ever get to or near the Smoke.

yes, I managed to accumulate three attributable injuries and the subsequent tax-free income covers Mrs Mog's gin bill nicely. The Lobster card is certainly very useful on my sojourns up to the great Smoke.

[teeteringhead]

subsequent tax-free income covers Mrs Mog's gin bill nicely

Blimey Mog, she's doing well.

My "War Pension" equates to just over one bottle of Sipsmith VJOP per week, or (to be less pretentious) two bottles of Tanqueray Export!

Chin chin mate. (and I thought I was the only person to call it a Lobster card.....)

[ScotchEggLoophole]

I asked for an ill health forecast today, well before a med board, and received a resounding no - and no discussion despite my pleas about my progressive disease that will see me cast out in due course. Going up the chain now to make a nuisance. I don't understand why they cannot give a caveated estimate of Tier 1/2/3 when someone is advised that they have a condition that is likely to lead to discharge. This can be a year or 18 months in advance, when people begin to try to recover from injury or gain treatment for illness, reduces the stress of the impending financial upheaval and most importantly, gives a chance of exploring for a mortgage. People are the most important asset we keep being told - unless they are broken/beaten/damned and no further use evidently. Then again, I'm no doubt naive.

[High Average]

ScotchEggLooophole - PM sent

Well this morning I received my Tier 1 Med Discharge Forecast for PAS as promised. As a reminder to you all, I asked the JPAC to give me a forecast based upon a Tier 1 exit on a fictional date in the future. I explained to them the problems that others on PAS had faced, and the JPAC kindly agreed to give me the forecast. There is only a slight financial advantage on the forecast compared to a normal exit, but that makes sense as I am 52.

Just a word of caution ref the standard MOD Pension calculator, MOD-PC.co.uk etc. I ran a forecast about 6 months ago, and another one today using the same info to check the figures. The 2 forecasts differed. The one from 6 months ago for some reason bumped up my "final pensionable salary" by one PAS level from the level which I declared was my "current salary". I gave an exit date which is before my next PAS increment, but the calculator wasn't that wise and bumped up the salary anyway. The latest calculation didn't make that mistake

[Just This Once...]

Originally Posted by High Average

There is only a slight financial advantage on the forecast compared to a normal exit, but that makes sense as I am 52.

A Med Discharge should not be just a slight advantage. In effect they have taken away your PAS pension and replaced it with terms that a regular non-PAS / ground branch would receive on a similar medical discharge.

[High Average]

To be honest, I really don't understand it all. The figures in my Med Discharge illustration from the JPAC are almost the same as those I got from the Pension Society. I therefore trust them as I have no information or knowledge to say otherwise

[ScotchEggLoophole]

High Average - JSP 905 - surely you qualify for the Tier 1 lump which maxes out a 2x pensionable pay?

135.2 A member who receives a Tier 1 ill-health discharge after they have achieved at least 20 years pensionable service and reached the age of 40, will be eligible for their standard EDP (lump sum and monthly payments) or a Tier 1 lump sum (not both) as determined by the scheme manager. The policy intent is that the individual should receive the better of the two.

[Background Noise]

Originally Posted by ScotchEggLoophole

I asked for an ill health forecast today, well before a med board, and received a resounding no ....

It is sad to see such the decline in support available over the last 25 years. When I had a career (and life) threatening illness in 1995, someone from P5 (which I had never heard of) turned up at my bedside at Halton. He was able to tell me exactly what I would get if I was invalided out that day and all the details about it being tax free and index-linked. I asked whether it had to be 'attributable' and he said that it was up to them to prove that it wasn't rather than me to prove it was.

By the time I left, nearly 20 years later, manning had been instructed not to enter into pension advice, the PSF 'termination clerk' couldn't answer many of my questions and the JPAC were no better. I had to resort to the FPS to assist in filling in the PVR form. At my leaving medical, the doc gave me a letter outlining the benefits I should expect as a veteran in civilian medical care - but added 'but i wouldn't hold your breath!' I have yet to see any sign of the military covenant.