New Capita-run Civil Service Pension Scheme - problems (what a surprise!)

ali_bear

Probably Crapita were handed a basket case from MyCSP and told to get on with it. 

notapottop_ssin

johnnyfreedosh said:

Yes we know previous administration MyCSP had problems but what is clear is the lack of honest information that Capita give out to members (or lack of)......If they where upfront about the situation and communicated with those recently retired (or about to retire) and awaiting payment they may get a semblance of respect.

Radio silence from Capita does nothing to aliviate worry & stress.  

I had to chase MyCSP every step of the way to even get my quote (it was like pulling teeth) and then when I phoned Capita for the first time a week after my retirement date to enquire about my lump sum they knew nothing and started the "list" of excuses  aka migration of data delays- portal problems etc etc all of which I became accustomed to throughout December.

As a footnote a colleague of mine retired 2 months before me and got his lump sum and pension on time which in a way lulled me into a false sense that all would be a bed of roses....seems a bit like pot luck.

Yep all of the above comments are true and it was a culmination of the two, but isnt it common sense to delay implementation until these issues are resolved and then go ahead with a half baked process thats not fit for purpose and yes wouldnt it be better to communicate than go silent, I think ignorance of the problem is very rude. 

notapottop_ssin

Will we be compensated, they have my money in their bank account, i am losing interest because of their inept ways of working 

WitsEnd101

Regarding compensation, does anyone know if these type of pensions are within the purview of the Financial Ombudsman?

MouldyOldDough

I have just gone through the registration process for the new site (which I only discovered because I had tried to log in to the old one) and was told that my account could not be set up because I had done something wrong and needed to contact them......

I have been drawing an ill health pension for 16 years

No email is available - how does a non-speaking person contact them ?

The complaint procedure says to complain through the portal - but I can't even log on to the portal

donttakeno4ananswer

In February I will retire and will have no money as Capita have completely failed to administer the civil service pension correctly. Yesterday I spent 4 hrs on the phone to be told the same thing as previous calls I make. Capita do not respond to any messages on their new appalling portal and have no time frame to sort their mess out. Whether you have applied or still in service please contact your MP, issue an official complaint either to the Ombudsman or Civil Service Pension Board, complain to the union and DONOT retire at this time as you get NO pension..Something has gone very wrong, it's your money and we have been failed by the Cabinet Office and Capita..DONT wait complain NOW

MouldyOldDough

Does anybody have a "contact us email address" for Capita MYCSP that is manned ?

reverso2

Hi, a newbie here.

I have noted that some people are receiving their pensions ok which of course is welcome but other I have seen many comments on this website and other sites from current and former civil servants regarding delays to obtaining their pension.

I am however left wondering what is the maximum time a person may have waited for a civil service pension once they had actually applied for it.

A close relative, a long deferred member, applied for their civil service pension in January 2024, ie now just over 2 years ago for payment in summer 2024. All seemed well, and all forms completed spring 2024 then nothing for some months. Towards the end of 2024, the person was told that the finalisation team had a query which needed to be resolved. Months then past and a complaint was made to MYCSP. The response to the stage 1 complaint took over 4 months to come through and basically just said what the issue was - something entirely to do with the former department's HR - but with no timescale on resolution. A stage 2 complaint was then made but no response received despite this being over 3 months ago.

As of today, not a single penny has come through and there is no sign that the pension will be paid. It is not a small pension by the way and the loss of interest alone is now worth several thousand pounds - the individual was a senior policy adviser to ministers for much of their career. 

So coming back to the question, how many others are in the same position of waiting over 18 months for a civil service pension to be paid despite giving 6 months notice beforehand? 

There are a few other questions:

- why should an individual suffer because of mistakes made by an employer many years ago for which that individual could have no clue that there was a mistake being made, particularly as in this case the issue seems impossible to resolve as the relevant data no longer exists?

- how can a pension be refused to be paid out for so long given that the query relates to a small % of the pension (probably less than 10%)?

- is it reasonable for a delay to payment of over 18 months?

- why is no action being taken by the Cabinet Office to speed up the processing of pension requests and complaints?

- how many others are in the same position or waiting months or even years for the very slow complaint process to be worked through?

- what would happen to this pension if the person died before the pension was actually paid? Hopefully this will not happen but one can never be sure of course.

Thoughts are welcome, and thanks for reading this. 

MSE_ForumTeam5

Hi @donttakeno4ananswer we've added your post to this ongoing thread

Jollypaddy

I was on the phone for 4 hours and 17 minutes today trying to reach a human at Capita, only to be told he was resetting my password which has never arrived. He said best wait till March as it doesn’t tell you much about your pension anyway!