Advice for my step father.

[Deimos]

Hi all

 

I'm looking for some advice for my step father.

 

He's worked long hours for the same company for about 29 years now, an engineering company

The pay, for the amount of hours worked, is pretty low, from what I know

They also don't offer any sick pay

He works on average from 5:30-6:00 am to late at night (7pm), 6 days a week doing heavy, industrial type work.

 

My step father had a massive heart attack on Wednesday, his heart stopped three times in total and he had one blocked artery and another semi blocked, he needed 5 stents? in the arteries and might now need a pacemaker

The doctor apparently told my mum his frontal lobe is damaged (Not sure if she heard that right or not)

So he might not be able to carry on doing the job he's been doing for the past 29 years.

 

As I understand it, the company, by law, has to pay him statutory sick pay, correct?

If he can't return to that job, is there any help he can get from the government?

I "think" he can go onto ESA and also get help with the mortgage interest costs?

 

Any advice is appreciated.

[daipp]

Providing he is an employee and not self-employed, there is no reason why he should not receive statutory sick pay (SSP) from his employer. He will obviously need to provide a statement of fitness to work (sick note)from the hospital or his GP to confirm he is too unwell to work.

[Deimos]

Thanks Daipp, yes, he's employed and on the company payroll.

He's still in hospital at the moment, so I'm going to speak to him about it on Tuesday.

He's one of those people who doesn't like to cause trouble, so won't stand up for himself or what he's entitled too, including holiday pay, which he only uses about 50% of his allowance each year.

I'm just worried about what will happen if he can't return to the job.

[Sidewinder]

Hopefully your stepfather is on the mend - this must have been a very distressing event for all concerned!

 

The company by law do not have to pay anything at all, but from the fourth day must pay SSP at the rate of £86.70 per week - unfortunately it is not a significant amount and will be way below a normal wage. It is payable for up to 28 weeks, after which the qualification for ESA kicks in.

[Deimos]

Ah! thanks Sidewinder, that helps a lot.

[Deimos]

Just a quick update

The company bosses visited him at home and they're only willing to offer him the basic SSP, they won't offer him redundancy, which I think he was counting on, because he can't do the old job he was doing even when recovered.

So now he's panicking, because the mortgage is around the 1k a month mark

Any advice would be appreciated

[honeybee13]

Hello again, I'm sorry to hear that.

 

So the company doesn't have any type of sickness insurance for staff, or a pension scheme?

 

HB

[Deimos]

Hi Honeybee

 

They did have a sickness scheme of some kind, but the company itself went into some kind of voluntary administration? where they had people in to sort the finances out because it was in debt. (the owner of the company died of cancer)

So at that time (about 3-4 years ago), they decided to scrap benefits like sick pay etc and they froze his private pension he had been paying into as well.

 

He's 52 years old and they told him he won't be able to claim on it until he's 55.

[honeybee13]

Hi Honeybee

 

They did have a sickness scheme of some kind, but the company itself went into some kind of voluntary administration? where they had people in to sort the finances out because it was in debt. (the owner of the company died of cancer)

So at that time (about 3-4 years ago), they decided to scrap benefits like sick pay etc and they froze his private pension he had been paying into as well.

 

He's 52 years old and they told him he won't be able to claim on it until he's 55.

 

Well, you can't take retirement until age 55 as a rule, but in the case of severe ill-health, it can sometimes be earlier. Depending on how this pans out, it's a possible option later.

 

HB

[Deimos]

Thanks Honeybee.

 

Can he request said pension now, based on ill health? Can the company refuse to give it to him?

while it's only a small company, the ones in charge, aren't at all compassionate, they didn't even call or visit him while in hospital, they only visited him today, to say he could only get statutory sick pay.

[honeybee13]

Hello again.

 

I think to have any idea about the pension scheme, we would need to know more about it. Do you know what type of scheme it is? Trust based or a group personal pension for example.

 

What I was trying to say above is that the trustees of the scheme would need to think that your stepfather will never work again, or not in his current role. I don't think they would make that sort of decision at this stage.

 

Does your stepfather have any insurances of his own against illness? Or mortgage protection insurance? If he has any credit cards, he might be paying extra for PPI type insurance that could pay the minimum amount while he isn't working, although I know a lot of people cancelled these. I claimed on my NatWest credit card when I was too ill to work, also an illness/redundancy type policy.

 

HB

[Deimos]

Thanks again honeybee, I'm not sure on the pension bit yet, he's going to dig it out tomorrow

 

What I do know is it's with Scottish Life? So I'm not sure.

 

I'll raise the PPI issue with him tomorrow.

[honeybee13]

Hello again.

 

Scottish Life will have various types of scheme, trust based and others. If you tell us what type of policy it is [don't mention the employer's name if it's shown] we'll try to advise you.

 

HB

[Deimos]

Thanks HoneyBee, you're awesome.

 

Assuming my step father gets ESA or JSA (I believe he's going to claim/apply for ESA), he should get support for mortgage interest

Is there anyway to calculate how much the government will pay towards the interest on his mortgage?

The mortgage, I believe, is around the 180k mark, he's the sole individual on the mortgage.

[honeybee13]

I can't remember the last time someone called me awesome. Thank you.

 

If you're asking about benefits, you need to start a new thread in the CAG benefits forum, the guys will be able to advise you on that part of your query.

 

If you have trouble finding the forum, please let us know.

 

HB

[Deimos]

Apparently my mum and step father earn £6 a week too "much" to be eligible for Income support and SMI.

[Emmzzi]

I can't remember the last time someone called me awesome.B

 

Let's make it twice in a day, awesome HB! Your pension knowledge always impresses!

[honeybee13]

Emmzzi, you've made me blush, thank you.

 

Some of the pension knowledge is OH though, if he's in the right mood.

 

HB

[honeybee13]

Deimos, I see that you have a new thread in the benefits forum and I hope that you get some answers.

 

Could we keep this thread for employment queries please?

 

HB

[Sidewinder]

Let's make it twice in a day, awesome HB! Your pension knowledge always impresses!

 

And three times - HB is awesome in so many other ways!

 

Deimos - sorry to hear about your stepfather's ongoing woes - I am sure that the team in the Benefits forum will point you in the right direction

[Grotesque]

Three times a lady, eh?!