In most Megas that I have experience with it seems unlikely that an exception will be granted because they will not want to set a precedent where they might be forced to offer exceptions to others in similar circumstances.
Can you downshift to a lesser role with lower hours, pay and stress for a couple years?
I downshifted to 50% time and it was wonderful and I would have considered staying but I would have had to wait out 6 more years rather than 2 more years and I decided that 6 years was too much.
Add me to the list of the "no exceptions granted" view from pb4uski.
I wanted what I thought was a no-brainer exception in my waning days of work back in 2007-2008. In 2007 (I was 44 that year), I asked for and was granted a second reduction to my weekly hours worked (from 20 to 12). I needed only approval from my divisionhead and his VP boss. This made me ineligible to remain the company's group health plan, something I already knew. I was able to go on COBRA and pay 102% of the premiums but could stay on it for only 18 months, something I also knew.
The big question for me was what would happen after COBRA expired in late 2008. One thing I didn't want to have happen was to keep working and have to buy my own HI which would be more expensive than COBRA (no ACA yet, of course).
I offered to pay for 100% of the HI group health premiums, either through COBRA or being allowed to remain in the group health plan. I figured this would be a no-brainer because I was voluntarily reducing the company subsidy to zero. In return, the company would get to retain a valuable employee with 23 years of experience.
Instead, my request was denied. They told me that they could not offer me HI because I moved into a riskier class of people when I reduced my hours from 20 to 12. I was now part of a small, riskier group of employees who tended to be near or over age 65, the latter eligible for Medicare. Even paying 100% of the premiums would not be enough, they told me. They told me it would not be fiscally responsible.
I replied that the company offers subsidized group HI coverage for many people who contribute zero the company's bottom line such as spouses and children of covered employees as well as retirees also in the plan (something that was getting phased out). I added that if I were to quit working for the company and married a current employee I would be eligible for group health coverage even though I would no longer be contributing to its bottom line any more. If the company can find the money to pay for all of those people who contribute nothing to its bottom line, why can't they even OFFER me group health coverage for someone who DOES contribute to its bottom line.
My request went nowhere but I soon did. I resigned at the end of October, 2008, beginning my ER, and made sure to mention all of this to the HR flunkie in my exit interview, not that I expected anything to happen.
The company's no-exception policy sure seemed pretty stupid.