Hi All - I'm interested to know if anybody else has had their employer's Group Income Protection (GIP) cover them whilst supporting their spouse through terminal cancer treatment?
I've been signed off on medical leave since January with anxiety and stress due to discovering that my spouses brain cancer treatment (Enhertu) became ineffective in December, helping her deal with the worst headaches imaginable that hospitalised her and then have been supporting her in a caring role day-to-day over the last 3 months which has been a rollercoaster. She is now on the HER2 "Combined" treatment for breast cancer metastasis to the brain.
I had an appointment with my head of department and HR manager today to explain our circumstances and they did say that as it's not the company's decision on whether to grant GIP but the insurer, they can't guarantee that I will be covered on this when ultimately, its my mental health that I'm suffering with and having psychotherapy treatment for every 2 weeks.
Has anybody else had experience in this, whether you were covered / not covered or what extra information you provided to support your case? I only ask in that they did explain that the Insurer might be hesitant to grant it because my wife is the person with the long-term disability and not myself.
Any insights would be greatly appreciated!
Thank You
Hello VanillaPod3fb416
My name is Steph, I'm part of the team who looks after the Online Community here at Macmillan.
I'm sorry to hear that spouse has brain cancer and that you've both being going through so much. I wondered if you'd managed to find out any more information from your employer as yet? Ultimately it will depend on whether your specific Income Protection policy covers you in your situation.
By posting here, I have bumped your post so that more members might see it, in case someone has the experience of being covered by an income protection policy for carers leave.
It's also worth considering your rights at work whilst caring for someone with cancer.
You also have rights as an employee around your mental health.
If you need further support or just want to chat with someone who is there to listen, do get in touch with the Macmillan Support Line. Our Support Line teams are available 7 days a week, 8am-8pm on freephone 0808 808 00 00, email or live webchat.
