NHS Pension complaint

drjohn67

Thanks again for the helpful comments. 

The Ombudsman invited me to complain on 8 Nov 23 because the Stage 1 IDR had taken 9 months by then.
The NHSBA Practitioner team had just agreed on 5 Nov 23 to correct so I was delayed.
The NHSBA Awards team failed to see the update and rejected the request to correct the pension on 16 Nov 23. A formal response was promised.
I contacted them, after allowing a few weeks for the formal response, and to date still have no formal response to the Stage 1 IDR for me to escalate. 

Fortunately, the MP has responded and has assigned someone to help engage with the NHSBA.

Stage 2 comment
Thank you. I will submit a formal request to move to Stage 2 IDR (in the absence of a response from NHSBA to Stage 1 IDR).

Subject access request comment
Thank you. I will do the same. I suspect it will be a little uncomfortable for me to read their comments. I have been polite - just persistent and put evidence to them and they likely consider me to be an awkward pest.  

I am trying to keep it in perspective - others lost their pensions a few years ago whereas I am confident that it will be resolved in the end - I am just exploring the best way to get out of the loop. :-)

Malthusian

The Ombudsman invited me to complain on 8 Nov 23 because the Stage 1 IDR had taken 9 months by then.
The NHSBA Practitioner team had just agreed on 5 Nov 23 to correct so I was delayed.
The NHSBA Awards team failed to see the update and rejected the request to correct the pension on 16 Nov 23. A formal response was promised.
I contacted them, after allowing a few weeks for the formal response, and to date still have no formal response to the Stage 1 IDR for me to escalate. 

Fortunately, the MP has responded and has assigned someone to help engage with the NHSBA.

To me this sounds like you are entitled to go to the Ombudsman as you have been waiting well over 2 months for a response to stage 1 of the IDPR. "Agreeing to correct" isn't a final response unless it explicitly says so. You can't move to Stage 2 until you have had a final response in stage 1.

drjohn67

Thank you. After the MP provided some assistance, NHSBA finally corrected the pension.

Trivial interest was awarded because they claim the "due date" was 4 Dec 23. This is despite them having the correct information 8 years ago and simply recording it wrong. Also despite my attempts to get them to see read my copies of that same evidence for 2 years. Indeed, NHSBA acknowledged it when I arranged for the health authority to verify the evidence last year and NHSBA even called me and recalculated the pension months before (then failed to communicate between departments and the error was repeated i.e. they told me that there had been no mistake). 

Will still follow up with the Pensions Ombudsmen process to hopefully influence/improve NHSBA processes.   

dragonsinger

I'm at the beginning of a complaint. I waited the 40 days, then was told my case is complex so it would need another 6 weeks. 8 weeks later and all I get back in response to my request for an update, or at least a new timeframe, is that my case is complex so will take slightly longer than normal.
The last email told me that they have such a high volume of complaints at the moment that the are struggling to provide the service they would like. 
I retire in 4 weeks and have no idea how much pension/lump sum I will get or when!
From what I've read here I won't hold my breath that it will be any time soon.