Fire Pension Scheme

If you have not reached Normal Pension Age (60) and you leave because of permanent disablement, you may be considered for an ill-health pension. If awarded, your active pension account (and any added pension account, if applicable) will then become payable.

There are two tiers of ill-health pension; a lower tier and a higher tier. A minimum of 3 months' qualifying service is required for a lower tier ill-health pension to become payable and a minimum of 5 years' qualifying service for a higher tier ill-health pension to be paid. The medical conditions which have to be met, for entitlement to an ill-health award, are as follows:

• for a lower tier ill-health pension, the person must be incapable of performing any of the duties of the role in which last employed, because of incapacity of mind or body which will continue until Normal Pension Age (60);
• for a higher tier pension, the person must be entitled to a lower tier ill-health pension and must also, because of incapacity of mind or body which will continue until Normal Pension Age, be incapable of undertaking regular employment.

Regular employment means employment for at least 30 hours a week on average over a period of not less than 12 consecutive months, beginning with the date on which the issue of the person's capacity for employment arises.