Testimonial

Ray is 56 years old, married and father to two adult children.

Following two duty motorcycle collisions in the late 1990’s, he required emergency spinal surgery and was eventually medically retired from the Police due to these injuries in June 2000.

His injuries were assessed to reduce his earning potential by 32% and he was given an injury pension based on that.

In 2002, his injury pension was reviewed and as there was no change in his condition it was left unaltered.

In 2004, his injury pension was reviewed again. This time, although it was stated that there was no medical change in his injury, his assessed earning potential disablement was reduced to 0% and his injury pension reduced to the lowest possible level.

Since his pension was reduced to the lowest possible level, he has not been called back to be reviewed again.

The justification given for the injury pension reduction was that, since medical retirement, he had been fully employed in a new career which made use of his engineering qualifications and knowledge, qualifications and experience as a traffic patrol officer.

He did well in his new career quickly progressing into a management position.

As his actual earnings had risen to a similar level to his previous police salary, it was decided that his earnings were no longer adversely affected by his injury.

In about 2016, he found out about the Injured On Duty Pensioners Association (IODPA).

Having studied their blogs and discussed his situation with other members he soon realised that the justification for his pension reduction was based on an incorrect interpretation of the Police Injury Pension Regulations.

The regulations require an assessment of uninjured earning potential based on ALL of the individual’s qualifications and experience which must be compared to realistic injured earning potential.

The 2004 review did not look at his skills and qualifications gained before and during his police career or make any comparison between his injured and uninjured earning potential, but merely showed his actual earnings were comparable to his old police pay.

The Police Federation funded a specialist solicitor to write to his former police employer, detailing judicial reviews which demonstrated that the 2004 review was contrary to the regulations.

A few months later, he received over 13 years worth of injury pension underpayment with interest and was reinstated at his previous level of injury award.

Unfortunately his back has now deteriorated to a point where he cannot walk up or down stairs, he can only walk short distances slowly using crutches and cannot sit upright for more than about an hour.

As a result of this deterioration in his duty injury his new employer ended his career last year, following a report from an Occupational Physician who found that as a result of his spinal injury that he is now unfit for any work of any description.

This doctors report renders him unemployable, so effectively his earnings disablement should now be 100%.

He knows that being unemployed and on the lowest level of injury pension, he would have struggled to pay his bills and so is very grateful that IODPA were able to provide him with knowledge and support, so that he received what he is entitled to.

He hopes that this article will help to spread the message to injured officers and those who know injured officers, that IODPA may be able to help those who are unaware of their rights under the injury pension regulations.

He would also like to express his thanks to the Police Federation for funding a solicitor with specialist knowledge of the judicial reviews and regulations governing police pensions who were able resolve the situation for him.

Sue’s story

“I devotedly served in  my chosen vocation for twenty years.  Entering it as a strong and enthusiastic young woman, but leaving it as a broken and lost soul. I was so ill, I couldn’t even resolve my retirement effectively –  as is often the case with mental health affected retirees.  After years of trying to help myself,  I was encouraged by another grateful user to trust and contact IODPA.

Suffering with PTSD means having real difficulties with trust and dealing with matters to do with previous illness related issues that have to be resurrected.  Letting go of control and handing it to someone you may have never met – and have to share the most personal situations with.  It’s painful.

I was taken in hand by one of the wonderful members of the charity.  Their method of communication, dedication to the task, courage and persistence in the face of challenging times for police pensioners, is admirable, inspiring and most of all, a breath of fresh air.  Anyone who can handle a panic attack via email, deserves a gold medal!

After years of not being able to move anywhere in my thoughts and needs to receive help, in a few months, they convinced me to keep moving forwards, that I was safe and anything I was sharing was in confidence. These are big things for police officers, especially when those things have been disregarded previously and in my case, brazenly so.

If you are feeling, like I was, desperate, flailing and very, very sad and alone in your circumstances, please give IODPA a shout – it might just save your life.  Minimally, you could find peace in your thoughts and move forwards.  I don’t have a result yet, but I am hopeful and feel safe in the hands of IODPA.”

Thank you IODPA.

Rosie Mac’s Testimonial to IODPA

I found a group of people, now named ‘IODPA’

I listened very carefully to what they had to say

This group is full of members sharing research and advice

I’ve found that every single member is very, very nice.

They spoke of many cases of the IOD retired

And how a few Police Forces have seemingly conspired

To reduce as many as they could of IOD paid pensions

Their ‘goings on’ so blatant they’ve attracted much attention

Some Forces methods of ‘reviews’ unlawful, even tricky

Their intended ‘victims lists’ well show that they’ve been very picky.

High bandings are the ones that they will always, always choose

That’s because they are the ones that have the most to lose

Terrific legal help we have with IODPA

And many ‘ripped off’ Pensioners got chance to have their say

Appeals, JR’s and other legal work has now been done

And in almost all of those the IOD pensioner won

It seems a little knowledge now can go a long, long way

And those offending Forces are going to have to pay

ALL the DUE IOD pensions, with backdating adding interest

The Forces will soon learn that doing ‘reviews’ is not best

As we all know the membership of IODPA is growing

The difference they are making now so large that it is showing

As word gets round about the group and everything they’ve done

All bullying and harassment by the Forces will be gone.

It is my fondest hope that one day soon ALL officers will know

That an Injury On Duty has a legal way to go

There are written Regulations about pensions for that cause

And how membership in IODPA will prevent a Forces ‘claws’.

Karen’s story

On 23rd January 2004, at about 8.00 pm, Karen’s life changed forever.

Karen, a police constable, aged just thirty eight, was attacked whilst attempting to arrest a male for robbery. The suspect resisted arrest; he fought with Karen, reigning several blows down on her head.

The struggle continued for some time. Karen made attempts to call for assistance via her personal radio but was unable to make the transmission due to the punches being thrown at her.

Eventually, there was a lull in the fighting where Karen was able to make the urgent call to her colleagues.

The male suspect, knowing that help was on its way, then made his final bid for freedom by catching hold of Karen’s hair and slammed her head against the wall. He was able to make off, leaving Karen crumpled in a heap on the ground.

Within a couple of minutes, Karen’s work colleagues arrived at the scene and immediately administered first aid to Karen. She was conveyed to hospital by ambulance, where she was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit, where she remained for three days.

Karen never went back to work following this incident.

Retirement

Karen’s injuries led to her early retirement from the police service on medical grounds. She had just eleven years service.

Karen was awarded an ill health retirement as well as an injury award and she attempted to move on with her life.

Life was never the same again for Karen or her family. Karen had changed beyond all recognition. As well as her physical head injuries, she was also diagnosed with PTSD.

Sadly, her former force has been a constant presence and Karen has undergone a number of (Regulation 37(1)) reviews since she was first awarded an injury pension in 2004, namely in 2006, 2009, 2011 and 2016.

In 2016, Karen’s former police force again reviewed her injury award and reduced her to a zero percent (which is still a band one).

The reason why she was reduced?  The Selected Medical Practitioner (SMP) stated that her head injuries were due to a childhood injury.

Contacting IODPA

Karen contacted IODPA via email and asked for help. She was unaware that SMPs are not permitted to go beyond previous reviews nor are they permitted to go back and look at her original ill health retirement decision. A review is a comparative exercise (as per the Belinda Laws v Metropolitan Police & PMAB). Karen was last reviewed in 2011, so the SMP should have been looking at evidence between 2011 and the review date in 2016.

The only question that the SMP should have answered was “Has there been substantial alteration in her degree of disablement?”

IODPA knew that Karen was out of time to formerly appeal the decision and that there was another route to right this potential wrong, which is by using the mechanism of a Regulation 32(2).

The team at IODPA first of all, reassured Karen that there was hope for her and we immediately signposted her to one of our trusted, expert solicitors. We helped her with her funding application, which enabled her to engage the solicitor.

Karen then joined the IODPA support network, where she was able to chat with others who had been through the same process. She was warmly welcomed and received good advice from her peers. Knowing that others had been through the traumatic process and had come out the other side, was comforting.

Karen found the strength to appeal her case, and we are pleased to report that she did indeed win. Her original banding was restored and all monies back paid.

Karen has told us “If it wasn’t for the support of IODPA, I would never have had the courage to take it all the way. I thought I had gone past my twenty eight days to appeal the decision, not knowing that this Regulation called a 32(2) existed. It was the best email I have written in years. Thank you.”