Civil service pension.

Hi Peter21

 I’m sorry to hear about the difficulties you’ve experienced trying to access your wife’s Civil Service Pension.

As your wife has the left the Civil Service she is known as a deferred member, and the rules around applying for ill health retirement are different from those of an active member.

There are also different sections of the Civil Service Pension Scheme, and the rules vary depending on the section of the scheme your wife belonged to. The sections are as follows:

Classic

Classic Plus and Premium

Alpha

Nuvos

Pension benefits can often be taken early from age 55 (50 in some cases) with the employer’s agreement. If a member chooses to retire early, the pension income will be lower to allow for the fact that it could be paid for longer.

Early retirement and ill health retirement are different, and the options vary for deferred members of the Classic Plus & Premium, Alpha and Nuvos schemes. For example, deferred members of the Classic scheme who are permanently unable to do their own job because of their ill health, can apply to take ill health retirement at any age. It is tricky for me to give you more specific information without knowing which section of the scheme your wife belonged to.

If the member qualifies for ill health retirement and it's available in their section of the scheme, their pension benefits would be paid without any reduction.

Members who are given a prognosis of less than 12 months, may have the option to access their pension on ‘special terms’. These terms allow a member to swap their pension benefits for a lump sum but there will be no further income, or lump sums payable in the member’s lifetime. To apply, the member should contact MyCSP Pension Service Centre (contact details below) in the first instance. They will arrange the relevant paperwork, which includes supporting medical evidence from the member’s GP and/or oncologist. This information will be used to decide if a member qualifies for retirement on ‘special terms’. Choosing this option doesn’t usually affect how any dependants’ pensions are worked out, but it might still be worth seeking financial advice before choosing a lump sum on special terms. The total pension and lump sum available to dependants may be higher if the pension is not accessed in this way.

If a deferred member would like to apply for an ill health pension, they should first contact MyCSP Pension Service Centre (contact details below). They will arrange the relevant paperwork, which includes supporting medical evidence from the member’s GP and/or oncologist. This information will be used to decide if a member qualifies for ill health retirement. The members previous employer will also be involved in the process, as you have found already.

 For more detailed information about the Civil Service Pension Scheme visit: https://www.civilservicepensionscheme.org.uk/

 For urgent questions, contact the scheme helpline on 0300 123 6666.

If you still struggle to start the process, please feel free to give us a call and one of our Financial Guides will be able to ask you more information about your wife's pension and give you tailored guidance, information and support. You can contact one of our Financial Guides on the Macmillan Support Line (freephone) on 0808 808 0000.

Thanks Laura

so it seems even though my wife left the civil service in 2007 she should still qualify to claim her pension early on I’ll health grounds. Thank you for clarifying that part. 
I may give you a ring to see how s best to progress this. As each side say it’s down to the other to initiate the process. 

thanks again John