Merchant Navy Pension

xylophone

See


https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/80327453/#Comment_80327453

Your husband could try the SAR route?

westv

Silvertabby said:

AngelinaBallerina said:

Silvertabby said:

QrizB said:

AngelinaBallerina said:

Ayr_Rage said:

The Merchant Navy is not an employer in itself.
...
There was no conscription during the Falklands conflict.

He came out of the Merchant Navy and had the little brown envelope arrive telling him he was going to The Falklands.  He thought he was off to Scotland!   Many thanks for your reply most helpful

Are you sure he was in the Merchant Navy?

Every so often you hear of a husband with a job that takes him away from home for long periods, and it turns out he's actually got a mistress / second family squirrelled away somewhere!

Are you sure that he was in the Merchant Navy and not the Royal Navy?  A period of reserve service after his 1979 discharge would explain that 'little brown envelope' and his recall to active duty.

If so, then the people to ask would be the Armed Forces Pension bods, not the Merchant Navy pension scheme.

This was before my time but i do have paperwork to show he was in the Merchant Navy.  Being discharged from that and then he was recalled back for the Falklands, which as said was a different situation entirely.

Then we are back to his actual length of pensionable service.  Pre 1988 he would have needed an absolute minimum of 5 years from age 18 - does he have that, or is your '5 years' the nearest round figure?

The 5 year vesting period applied to all public sector and most private sector pensions back then, it wasn't just specific to the Merchant Navy.

My private sector DB pension had a minimum starting age of 25.

Silvertabby

Another thing to consider - IF the Merchant Navy was a contributory scheme back then, and IF he didn't meet the 5 year minimum vesting period, he may have been offered a refund of his contributions back in 1979.  Does this ring any bells?  That would explain why they can't find any pension records for him now.

In the meantime, can you check and confirm his actual dates of service, and his age on joining.  His rank on joining/leaving could also help us to help you.

xylophone

He came out of the Merchant Navy and had the little brown envelope arrive telling him he was going to The Falklands.  He thought he was off to Scotland! 

I am finding the story difficult to understand.

Is the case that this gentleman was in the Merchant Navy for five years, left the Merchant Navy for employment elsewhere  (was this in the Royal Navy/another service/somewhere completely unassociated with the services) and then in 1982 received the "brown envelope" requiring him to report to HMS Sheffield?

Who sent the "brown envelope"? Was it the MOD?

Marcon

Silvertabby said:

Another thing to consider - IF the Merchant Navy was a contributory scheme back then, and IF he didn't meet the 5 year minimum vesting period, he may have been offered a refund of his contributions back in 1979.  Does this ring any bells?  That would explain why they can't find any pension records for him now.

In the meantime, can you check and confirm his actual dates of service, and his age on joining.  His rank on joining/leaving could also help us to help you.

In 1979 the general legislative requirement (at least in private sector DB schemes) was 5 years of pension scheme membership and aged at least 26 at the time of leaving service. The minimum age of 26 requirement didn't change until 1986, when the minimum age was removed. 

Silvertabby - do you know if the age requirement applied to public sector schemes?

molerat

Silvertabby - do you know if the age requirement applied to public sector schemes?

5 years / age 26 certainly applied to AFPS up until 1978

Prior to 6 April 1975 there was no provision for a preservation of pension benefits and service personnel
who left the armed forces had to have completed 16 years from age 21 (officers) or 22 years from age 18 (other ranks).
Those who left before that date without completing the above criteria, lost all pension entitlement.
The rules changed on 6 April 1975 to provide for pensions to be deferred for payment at age 60 for all those discharged
over the age of 26 with a minimum of 5 years service. On 31 March 1978 the age criterion was dropped and on 6 April 1988,
the qualifying period was reduced from 5 to 2 years. Deferred pensions have to be claimed at age 60

Silvertabby

Marcon said:

Silvertabby said:

Another thing to consider - IF the Merchant Navy was a contributory scheme back then, and IF he didn't meet the 5 year minimum vesting period, he may have been offered a refund of his contributions back in 1979.  Does this ring any bells?  That would explain why they can't find any pension records for him now.

In the meantime, can you check and confirm his actual dates of service, and his age on joining.  His rank on joining/leaving could also help us to help you.

In 1979 the general legislative requirement (at least in private sector DB schemes) was 5 years of pension scheme membership and aged at least 26 at the time of leaving service. The minimum age of 26 requirement didn't change until 1986, when the minimum age was removed. 

Silvertabby - do you know if the age requirement applied to public sector schemes?

As Molerat says, the Armed Forces Pension Scheme age 26 rider was lifted in 1978.

1978 was way before my time in the LGPS, but although I dealt with a number of very old deferred/frozen records, the age 26 limit never cropped up.  Either it didn't apply, or the LGPS chose to ignore it in later years! 

westv

Silvertabby said:

Marcon said:

Silvertabby said:

Another thing to consider - IF the Merchant Navy was a contributory scheme back then, and IF he didn't meet the 5 year minimum vesting period, he may have been offered a refund of his contributions back in 1979.  Does this ring any bells?  That would explain why they can't find any pension records for him now.

In the meantime, can you check and confirm his actual dates of service, and his age on joining.  His rank on joining/leaving could also help us to help you.

In 1979 the general legislative requirement (at least in private sector DB schemes) was 5 years of pension scheme membership and aged at least 26 at the time of leaving service. The minimum age of 26 requirement didn't change until 1986, when the minimum age was removed. 

Silvertabby - do you know if the age requirement applied to public sector schemes?

As Molerat says, the Armed Forces Pension Scheme age 26 rider was lifted in 1978.

1978 was way before my time in the LGPS, but although I dealt with a number of very old deferred records, the age 26 limit never cropped up.  Either it didn't apply, or the LGPS chose to ignore it in later years! 

I wish the first company I worked for had ignored it and given me an extra 9 years of DB pension LOL!! 

otb666

If you know the name of one of the ships they were on You can look up the crew on https://www.forcesreunited.co.uk/ and if you click on their name you get a list of their service history and number