Injury benefit
At a glance
Separate to the ill health pension payable from the pension scheme, there is a police injury benefit which may be payable if you are injured in the line of duty.
You are in the
2015 scheme
Qualifying
When is an injury benefit applicable?
If you are permanently injured due to an injury sustained on duty, without fault of your own, you may be entitled to an injury award under the police (injury benefit) regulations 2006.
The injury award has two main parts:
- Injury pension – based on the degree of disablement, average pensionable earnings, and length of service
- Gratuity – a lump sum determined by the degree of disablement and service
Further detail about how much you could receive is shown in the table below:
| Degree of disablement | Gratuity expressed as % of average pensionable earnings | Minimum income guarantee (% of average pensionable earnings) – Less than 5 years’ service | Minimum income guarantee (% of average pensionable earnings) – 5 or more but less than 15 years’ service | Minimum income guarantee (% of average pensionable earnings) – 15 or more but less than 25 years’ service | Minimum income guarantee (% of average pensionable earnings) – 25 or more years’ service |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25% or less (slight disablement) | 12.5% | 15% | 30% | 45% | 60% |
| More than 25% but not more than 50% (minor disablement) | 25% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% |
| More than 50% but not more than 75% (major disablement) | 37.5% | 65% | 70% | 75% | 80% |
| More than 75% (very severe disablement) | 50% | 85% | 85% | 85% | 85% |
If total and permanent disablement occurs within 12 months of the duty-related injury, an additional disablement gratuity may be payable.
The process
Applying for an injury benefit
To apply for an injury benefit, you’ll need to contact the scheme manager to enquire about the process. You may be required to provide supporting evidence such as your medical records and incident details. Your force will let you know what is required and the steps that will need to be taken.
The police pension authority will refer the decision to the selected medical practitioner. The questions that the selected medical practitioner must answer are:
- Whether the person concerned is disabled
- Whether the disablement is likely to be permanent
- Whether the disablement is the result of an injury received in the execution of duty
- The degree of the person’s disablement
Where the member is also being considered for the disablement gratuity the selected medical practitioner must also answer the following questions:
- Whether the person concerned is totally disabled
- Whether the total disablement is likely to be permanent
- Whether the disablement is the result of an injury received in the execution of duty
- The date on which the person became totally disabled
You will undergo an assessment by a selected medical practitioner (SMP) who will issue a report to you and the scheme manager.
If you are awarded an injury benefit the police pension authority will advise the pension administrator to calculate the pension and arrange the payments to you based on the outcome of the selected medical practitioner’s report.
Other considerations
Are you receiving state benefits?
If you receive certain state benefits or compensation because of your injury these may be deducted from the injury pension that you receive from the police.
State benefits that are considered include:
- Industrial injuries disablement benefit
- Reduced earnings allowance
- Incapacity benefit
- Severe disablement allowance
- Employment and support allowance
- A disablement gratuity
- Any compensation payment
This is to ensure your overall benefits remain fair and avoid duplication of payments.
You can find out more about the state benefits payable, and how to apply for them on the government website.
If any of these benefits are payable to you in respect of the same injury you will need to notify your pension administrator. They may not be able to put your injury pension into payment until you have confirmed whether you have any additional relevant benefits that need to be deducted from your injury pension.
You will need to keep your pension administrator informed of any changes to your state benefits, other than the usual annual increases, so that the amount of your injury pension can be adjusted accordingly.
Regular check-ins
Injury reviews
The police authority must periodically consider whether your degree of disablement has substantially altered, and if so, your injury pension will be reassessed and revised accordingly.
A review of your injury benefit will include an assessment by a selected medical practitioner (SMP). You may be required to provide supporting evidence such as your medical records and incident details, your force will let you know what is required and the steps that will need to be taken.
You will undergo an assessment by a selected medical practitioner who will issue a report to you and the scheme manager and if there is a substantial alteration in your degree of disablement, your injury benefit will be revised accordingly.
What to do
Medical appeals
If you do not agree with the decision made by your police authority or the selected medical practitioner that they have appointed to assess your health, an injury award or a review of your ill health or injury award then you can appeal their decision.
In the first instance you should speak with your police authority, within 28 days of receiving your medical report.
If you are unable to resolve the issue with your police authority it can be escalated either to the police medical appeal board or through the force’s IDRP process.
You can find out more about complaints about any other area of the police pension scheme in the internal dispute resolution procedure section of the website.