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

siempre

Hi All

I let HR know that I would be retiring and gave them a date of Dec 18th back in the first week of September, I have logged onto Capita's portall to check if there is any notification and it is saying there is no ongoing pension case. I sent a message through the secure contact us page but there is no record of it being sent. I have sent the same message in 3 different browsers but all with the same result I am not confident if they have been sent as there is no confirmation, Is this normal or am I doing something wrong ?? Thank you

NewtsInThePond

@siempre I don't think it sounds like you are doing anything particularly wrong. We are up against a process and system that is already known to be very slow, completely untransparent and on occasions for some people, has been very unreliable and a complete let down.

The portal messaging system is not turning out to be the 'amazing all singing all dancing' system we were led to be believe (more akin to being like a chocolate teapot 😁!!!) During this debacle for me, I never had any indication appearing on the CSP website showing that my pension request was 'ongoing' or 'in-progress' or any such thing.

The key thing here for you is to be sure you have some evidence from your HR unit that they have sent in your appropriate pension notification details to Capita. Maybe at some point you could bite the bullet and call Capita (a dull and potentially long wait on the phone I know!) but at least you could obtain confirmation they have your pension request details, then you know you are in the queue to receive your pension quote.

As a sense of timeline, my quote came three months after I went partially retired and then it was a further three months before any actual money appeared in my bank account. It feels like a very long and protracted wait, but nothing will progress if the original notification from your HR unit is not logged with Capita in the first place.

WorryPot

Hello @siempre my heart goes out to you. If Capita kept people updated and also if they added 'comments' or 'updates' fields to their 'Track my Case' entries, everyone would be happy. Including their own Call Centre staff.

I am sure you have already done this but have you contacted your employer's HR department again recently? Maybe they have received some kind of receipt / acknowledgment / feedback from Capita? Perhaps they can copy it to you, just as reassurance?

Before I left employment, I asked around and spoke to any other colleagues who were doing the same. It helped to compare notes / check their notification experience. Just a thought.

katejo

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82162957#Comment_82162957

Has HR definitely informed Capita that you want to start taking the pension? Mine was SAUL not Civil service but I did find out early in the process that my UOL HR hadn't notified SAUL of my resignation.

MouldyOldDough

Does anybody know what Pension Type "CIHPRES" means wrt CSP ?

flaneurs_lobster

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82164582#Comment_82164582

Google says

In the context of the UK Civil Service Pension Scheme, "CIHPRES" stands for Compulsory Ill Health Pension – Retirement on Medical Grounds (or an equivalent systemic shorthand indicating a Compulsory Ill-Health Retirement (IHR) pension payment currently in payment or preservation).

maybe?

WorryPot

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82158244#Comment_82158244

Dear all, just to let you know that the Cabinet Office has responded to Jacqueline Spatcher.

Definition of "workable stock" in civil service Pension scheme.

Quite interesting, including the answer to "(c) what checks Cabinet Office carried out on the accuracy of this claim by Capita before it was reported to Parliament".

Please see their attachment at the end of the correspondence.

hugheskevi

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82165639#Comment_82165639

So the 1 September deadline related to resolving the following case categories:

1. Bereavement
2. Death in Service
3. Ill-health retirement
4. Retirement payments
5. Retirement quotes

The commitment related to all cases in existence as at 30 June 2026 that were workable as at that time (ie required no 3rd party input) and remained workable through to 1 September. If a case ceased to be workable, for example if Capita requested information from the employer or the member, then the clock would stop and it would no longer be a stock case.

Capita declared that all 5 areas met the target of clearing all stock cases. This was despite there being, as at 1 September, 374 workable cases over 100 days outstanding across categories 1-4 above and 900 outstanding quotes all of which dated from 30 June or earlier. Presumably these outstanding cases did not meet the criteria of being workable at all times from 30th June.

The latest figures show 2,168 cases more than 100 days since origination across these 5 categories, the majority of which require 3rd party input (so blame employers and members, not Capita!). Today is 103 days since the key 30th June 2026 date. So despite thousands of confirmed cases within these categories still unresolved more than 3 months later, every category met the target Capita self-committed to.

It is unclear what the position is around cases arising after 30 June 2026.

From this, it seems Capita have a number of ways to ensure a case is not recorded as being overdue:

• The case is not workable at all points from 30th June 2026 - information has been requested from a 3rd party. There are many reports of employers and members sending information multiple times that is not received by Capita.
• It is complex - Capita said 600 complex cases would not be resolved in any event
• The case arose after 30 June 2026. There are reports on forums of cases being closed for no reason and members not being informed. Presumably members raise the case again, and it no longer qualifies as a stock case.
• The case is not recorded on the system - members are always directed to submit messages via the portal, but these are largely ignored and so are not recorded as part of the figures.
• Similar to the portal, telephone answer times have rocketed back to being around an hour or more, so raising a case by telephone is very difficult, especially as call operators can rarely be of any use other than to confirm something is on the system.
• Members reported a change in identification verification procedures. This would cause a case to cease to be workable pending submission of identification and hence it would not be within the workable stock commitment.

I would be concerned that the construction of the commitment gave Capita an incentive to find reasons they can't process cases, rather than to focus on delivering a proper service.

WorryPot

I know that the contract is up and running but it is a shame that there can't be fines added for each individual failure. For example:

• For each portal case raised that is not answered within SLA, £x will be 'removed' from payment.
• For each Phone Call not answered within SLA, £x will be 'removed' from payment.
• Each time Capita requests information from a member or third party, which has already been provided, £x will be 'removed' from payment.

Yes, I know that the Cabinet Office has stated (many times) that £9.9 million has been 'withheld', but:

• That is for whole functions where the SLAs are not being met. Therefore if 100 or 10,000 Phone Calls are not being answered....same penalty. Therefore let's make it 100,000 calls ignored.
• The figure has been the same for several months. If things are still bad, why is the figure not increasing?
• The £9.9 million refers to money 'withheld', which may be interpreted as "you will get it...later". It does not state 'completely removed'.

Is Capita really feeling the pain?

ShottsBA

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82165655#Comment_82165655

In other words, the most transparent stats fiddling ever. Imagine even putting that forward. Even as a 16 year old trainee in the 70s I could've made a better job of it than that.