Need advice about Navy Pension

muminfrance

Hi.

My step father served as a Chief Petty Officer in the navy & was there for approx 22 years. After his service he met my mum & they were married for 16 years. He died at 54 of throat cancer missing out on the lump sum he was expectiong when he was 55 ........

10 years have now passed, My mum has never recieved this lump sum, or any part. All she has recieved in this time is a ridiculous pension which took her over her income support allowance forcing her to pay rent, council tax & be skint ever since. Due to ill health (cancer) she is now void of rent etc BUT it bothers me why my mum has never recieved any of her husbands expected lump amount.


My mum has tried to get help via the Citizens advice and never got anywhere. Now she has been ill going into town is a chore, she only has a mobile & no internet. Life is pretty down for her. I'd love to put a smile on her face, It's a difficult time when you lose someone you love & when that leaves you on poverty street it's very upsetting for all concerned.

Can anyone please point me in the right direction


Kind regards

x

JOHNGT

Your step father was most likely a member of the 1975 Armed Forces Pensions Scheme. The booklet can be found here: http://www.mod.uk/NR/rdonlyres/73C97FDF-BCDA-4B3F-A686-CA8533FD52BC/0/afps75_mmp106_your_pension_scheme_explained.pdf

Read page 20 which says that if you die after leaving service but before receiving your preserved pension, your spouse may be entitled to a gratuity equal to the preserved terminal grant (the preserved terminal grant is 3 times the starting rate of your step-father's pension). It doesn't say that you have to be married whilst in service but that could be a condition of receipt.

I suggest you contact the Armed Forces Pension Scheme:

Royal Navy/Royal Marines Personnel
Royal Navy/Royal Marines Pensions
Pay, Pension & Personnel Administration
Armed Forces Personnel Administration Agency
Centurion Building, Grange Road
Gosport, Hants, PO13 9XA
Tel: 0845 607 5555

molerat

http://www.mod.uk/NR/rdonlyres/55EDB441-5884-4544-AF56-0AA88511909A/0/afps75fambenefits.pdf is the one you need to read. There would be no lump sum at age 55 but an index linked increase to the full pension at time of discharge (assuming he had completed 22 years and was in receipt of a pension). As they married after he left service the widows pension is half of the pension due on service completed after 1978 so would be quite small.