Bus Employees Pension Scheme (B.E.S.T.) - please help

ericpode

I've been helping my brother trace an old pension - it is the National Bus Employees Superannuation Trust Pension scheme, also known as B.E.S.T. which was active through the 1970s and 80s.

It has taken a while as he has lost most of the paperwork, and to cut to the chase, it looks like he may have to go to the ombudsman. Before he can do that we need to check his eligibility because apparently it had a variety of rules about what age you could join the scheme and the minimum number of years you had to contribute to it - but we don't know what exactly the rules are that would have been stated clearly in the original pension rules booklet.

If you still have the original prospectus/manual booklet for the B.E.S.T. pension scheme, or know someone who is/was a member of the scheme and who might still have the booklet, can you please let me know ?

P.M. me if you like.

I think all we would need is a copy of a couple of pages that state the eligibility rules (a copy taken by a mobile phone camera should be clear enough).

Thanks in anticipation.

molerat

Has he spoken to TPAS ?

This makes for interesting reading https://www.sackers.com/pension/nbpf-pension-trustees-limited-and-michael-smith-and-another-bus-employees-pension-trustees-limited-v-francis-wheeler-and-another-high-court-14-march-2008/

xylophone

When did (or will) your brother reach state pension age?

When exactly did he work for the company?

ericpode

Thank you for your replies.

He is nearly 64 and he worked for the Midland Red (National Bus) company between 1971 to 1984/5.

Standard Life who now look after the scheme say they have no records of him, although he has documents showing pension deductions, and they suggest that he may have been ineligible due to the rules of the scheme.

I've no doubt they would just like him to go away, hence the desire to find out the exact rules of eligibility from the original scheme manual before we take it further.

nigelbb

ericpode wrote: »

Thank you for your replies.

He is nearly 64 and he worked for the Midland Red (National Bus) company between 1971 to 1984/5.

Standard Life who now look after the scheme say they have no records of him, although he has documents showing pension deductions, and they suggest that he may have been ineligible due to the rules of the scheme.

I've no doubt they would just like him to go away, hence the desire to find out the exact rules of eligibility from the original scheme manual before we take it further.

If there is proof of deductions then it looks like the employer thought he was eligible & the fact that deductions were taken would have confirmed for him that he was earning a pension.

xylophone

It is extremely likely that the Scheme "contracted out" and that your relative would therefore have a GMP for service from 1978-1985.

https://www.barnett-waddingham.co.uk/comment-insight/blog/2014/08/18/what-is-a-gmp/


See post 23 here

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6009662/warning-double-check-state-pension-forecasts-after-govt-admits-significant-errors-mse-news&page=2

DWP holds a detailed record of the periods of contracted-out and contracted-in employment, indexed by NI number. The guy I spoke to at DWP gave me the complete breakdown of my record over the phone. No values or employers, just the dates of employment and whether contracted-out or in.

Your brother should check with DWP as above for the years in question.

Has he yet obtained a new state pension forecast?

https://www.gov.uk/check-state-pension

With regard to preserved benefits in the scheme, see

https://www.barnett-waddingham.co.uk/comment-insight/blog/2012/07/24/revaluation-for-early-leavers/

ericpode

Thank you for the info and ideas, and apologies for taking so long to reply.


It seems that the Public Records Office at Kew do have the pension rules booklet. It is a long trip for him, but I've suggested he plans a visit there to view and photograph it if necessary.


Thanks again.

xylophone

Has he checked with DWP and obtained a state pension statement as above?

ericpode

I don't think so - I'll have to chivvy him along.

Drooster

Hi. Did you manage to sort this ?
I am a deferred member of the BEST scheme. I had a letter from Standard Life in 1992 explaining how benefits are paid etc. Also there was a surplus added to the scheme and enhances  the "cash payment" element due at age 63 I think. 
Has your relative changed address ?

nevillehowell

The scheme was taken over by Aviva. I was with the scheme up until 1988. It is a Section 32 GMP