Stroke Victim

[PaulB]

Dear Forum Members

I am looking for your valuable feedback and advice on behalf of a friend of mine. As you may know I work in the UAE and one of my ex-pat friends here recently had a stroke. This friend is married to a Filipna and has a house in Pagasinan. His company have now stated he must go home as he has had the 3 months off sick and can't return to work. He can't go back to UK as he can't get his wife a visa without savings and a job so the company will send him to the Philippines.

the advice i seek is basically 3 fold:

1. Can he get Therapy in Pangasinan? He is physically okay now but he has trouble remembering and speaking.
2. Can he claim any benefits from UK whilst in Philippines as he contributed to National Insurance for 23 years?
3. As he will have no income should he go to the UK to seek what support he can (maybe i will go with him to support if his wife can't) and then return to the Philippines?

It is tragic as I really do not think he will be well enough to work again and at 52 years of age I am not sure he can get his UK pension.

I believe all this moving will happen in the next couple of weeks so any advise would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks in advance.

 

Paul

[Jack Peterson]

1 hour ago, PaulB said:

the advice i seek is basically 3 fold:

1. Can he get Therapy in Pangasinan? He is physically okay now but he has trouble remembering and speaking.
2. Can he claim any benefits from UK whilst in Philippines as he contributed to National Insurance for 23 years?
3. As he will have no income should he go to the UK to seek what support he can (maybe i will go with him to support if his wife can't) and then return to the Philippines?

Paul, as a Stroke survivor I can only offer you this advice and unfortunately it is not Good

1. I do not know the area you talk about but here in Dumaguete I have hand very good results and pretty perfect rehabilitation from my Therapy  although of course each case will be so very different

2. There is no way that he can claim anything from the UK unless he is actually resident in the UK that would be applicable to the UAE or here in the Philippines

3. I lived in Spain when I had my Stroke in 2012 and had to move back across the Border to GIBRALTAR (GB) to Obtain Medical Help They flew me to the UK and I had all the treatments that was necessary at that time. I then moved back to Spain to recuperate. My Company as your Friend are saying, sent me here to the Philippines (Paid for by them) with a severance to cover me for 1 year. This was one (1) year before I was  pensionable at 65. No way is there any possibility of early Payout here but in the UK, that would be a Disability pension and would cease when he was 65 and went on to Age Related Pension with Top up benefits.

Now the Really bad bit. Paul the UK could not have cared less about my Plight, I had to wait that full year until my Birthday and my State pension and my Private pension. As with your Friend, I could not get my wife into the UK ( Not sure she would have come at that time) So I was here and spent the next year 2012/2013 fighting them each and every day. If we are not living in the UK we get nothing.

 Sorry that it is this way but that is the Truth of it all.

Just Shout if i can be of any more help.

 This may be Bad of me but Does he have Family in the UK that help, I don't always condone this but I wonder if a UK Address may help in this but of course there will be Physical checks that will be made. and it could get messy, I decided against it 

 

Jack

Edited December 9, 2017 by Jack Peterson
Spelling AGAIN

[PaulB]

Jack

 

Thank you for answering and for giving it as it is. I did think as much. I guess it will now be a matter of "Lets see hoe it goes". At least I know he prefers to be in the Philippines the UK so this should help him be calm.

He does have a sister in the UK who has been helping clear things here in the UAE but I don't think he wants to be a burden on her when he is married already.

I will continue to look at ways to help him if I can.

Thanks again and I am glad you recovered well as it also gives me hope for him.

Paul

[Kuya John]

Paul looking at the situation, it might be a temporary thing, but the option of staying with his sister in the UK might be his best option for recovery.

Then at a later date reunite with his wife either in Philippines or UK if possible.

(I would be so proud to have a friend like you in that situation.)

 

Edited December 9, 2017 by Kuya John
spelling correction

[Dr. Shiva]

One question about his employer: Was that an UAE company, an UK company or other countries company? Probably if it is an UK company there can be some pension available to him. I ask because in my case I was working for an international company which paid into my pension in Switzerland even if I was staying in a different country for working.

[Old55]

Paul, well done sir!