Civil Service Pension, classic/alpha ill-health retirement

Trying_to_be_good

Hello everyone

I've just been retired under ill-health for acute anxiety. My brain doesn't work how it used to, and I'm struggling to understand how they've calculated my pension, but I think they have it wrong.

Being a financially savvy person, I have been purchasing added years in the old classic scheme since 2006, and have an EPA for 2 years (missed the first year as the paperwork didn't arrive, but EPA for 16/17 and so far in 17/18.

I was retired on 3 Nov having started on 23 Apr 95 (yep, it was a Sunday).

Anyone particularly knowledgeable about the Civil Service Classic and alpha schemes with ill-health retirement, please?!

GunJack

Ask them for a complete breakdown of their calculations so you can compare it with what you've actually done...that would be a starting point

Kynthia

Are you in a union as some have a pension expert that can help? Not the rep but someone who specialises in the scheme.

taking_stock

under Classic, there's two tiers - one which adds what you would have earned up to NRA and the lower tier just gives what you've built up to date, but without actuarial reduction for early payment.
do you know under which terms you were retired?

xylophone

http://www.civilservicepensionscheme.org.uk/media/95181/epafs_v2_310315.pdf

If you retire through ill-health, the EPA portion of your pension has no effect on how your benefits are worked out, or the age used in the tests by the scheme medical advisers. They will use your SPA.

They will still check to see if you will be able to return to employment by your NPA, not the age you could take the EPA portion of your alpha pension.

Is the above relevant to your concerns?

BobQ

taking_stock wrote: »

under Classic, there's two tiers - one which adds what you would have earned up to NRA and the lower tier just gives what you've built up to date, but without actuarial reduction for early payment.
do you know under which terms you were retired?

OP, there are several publications that may apply (see below). Your heading mentions Classic and Alpha. They have different rules.

In Classic one class of ill health retirement applies if you are unable to do any work, the second if you are unlikely to do your job.

You do need to find out which scheme applies and the basis of the calculation which My CSP should be able to fully explain to you.

http://www.civilservicepensionscheme.org.uk/members/publications/

poorchester

In Classic there is only one tier. The amount of enhancement depends on the number of years of service one has.
The OP would appear to have moved to Alpha before retirement so there will be no enhancement to the Classic part of their pension.
http://www.civilservicepensionscheme.org.uk/media/95257/pbihr_web-20150714.pdf

taking_stock

yes of course, 2 tiers in alpha..
http://www.civilservicepensionscheme.org.uk/media/95090/alpha_schemeguides5_colour.pdf

BobQ

poorchester wrote: »

In Classic there is only one tier. The amount of enhancement depends on the number of years of service one has.
The OP would appear to have moved to Alpha before retirement so there will be no enhancement to the Classic part of their pension.
http://www.civilservicepensionscheme.org.uk/media/95257/pbihr_web-20150714.pdf

Yes you are right the two tiers relate to Premium, thanks for correcting my memory! Alpha also has a two tier approach using similar criteria