Army Pension days that don't accrue pension.

[Gamer 69]

I got a day qualifying servive on Day 1.

Day 2 to Day 11, my service didn't qualify.

Day 12 onwards, it did.

Any ideas why? I can't imagine my service was remarkadably different from anybody else's.

They also forgot to forecast my AFPS 05 scheme, despite me requesting it on the form.Then writing on the form to not forget this time, then phoning them a week later to remind them.

They always try to give me the AFPS 75, without the 05 scheme. I dread to think how many mobolised ex forces don't know they are entitled to this extra lump of pension. I'm not saying they are being deliberately fraudulent, but I do think this must be MOD policy.

 

[Tappet]

I'm not saying they are being deliberately fraudulent, but I do think this must be MOD policy.

Never put down to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity.

@Forces Pension Society may be able to advise.

 

[Bodenplatte]

DId you attest Day 1 then get sent on unpaid leave pending joining for duty ?

Or maybe your age ? Unless things have changed, pension accrues from your 18th birthday if you joined before that.

 

[Forces Pension Society]

There is often a gap between attestation and reporting for the first day. The days between the two events are unpaid thus do not count for pension. I cannot say whether this is what happened to Gamer 69 as I have no access to his or her records but I have seen it happen in other cases.

You are entitled to ask the question, Gamer 69. It is, after all, your service history.

 

[Forces Pension Society]

DId you attest Day 1 then get sent on unpaid leave pending joining for duty ?

Or maybe your age ? Unless things have changed, pension accrues from your 18th birthday if you joined before that.

Just for the record, AFPS 05 and AFPS 15 do not have the age criteria.

 

[Gamer 69]

DId you attest Day 1 then get sent on unpaid leave pending joining for duty ?

Or maybe your age ? Unless things have changed, pension accrues from your 18th birthday if you joined before that.

Ah, this would have been it. Thanks for clearing this up for me.

 

[Gamer 69]

Just for the record, AFPS 05 and AFPS 15 do not have the age criteria.

Thank you for your answer,

I understand that AFPS 05 has a different age criteria. However I am putting together a pack with all my NHS pension schemes, army pension schemes, life insurance etc, In case I get sick, dementia, die etc.

I know that the Army will never contact me to say I have money waiting for me. Which is why I asked specifically for them to do both.

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/860641/AFPS_Form_14.pdf

The above allows you to pick an additional scheme. No, AFPS may assume you want details of the earliest scheme, but I specifically wrote on the form I wanted both. It then went through a quality check and didn't do this.

For anyone who was asked to mobolise to go to Iraq or Afghanistan, they were told they were not entitled to gain benefits under AFPS75 (at least when I served in 2006). How many of those will forget the 2 pension schemes and potentially miss out on AFPS 05? Again, if I fall sick, the wife isn't going to know the intricacies of different pension schemes. Hence why I want to put my full entitlement in one place.

On the other hand, I think the army pension ran by the MOD is piss poor. In the NHS, I can log-on to a website and it provides me with full detials of the pension schemes for the three Trusts I have worked at. I don't have to chase anyone, I get to see what I am entitled to under the 1995 scheme at age 60 and my stakeholder pension at age 65. I have not had a suitable answer from the MOD why they can't be bothered to incorporate this for the MOD.

I really do dread how many veterans are missing out on pensions. I also don't feel as if the Government are truly incentivised to find out sick or less informed veterans (or their spouses). They reduced the payout in armed forces schemes to reduce cost, why would they want to pay out if there is not a claim for an account?

 

[Forces Pension Society]

My comment about AFPS 05 and AFPS 15 was for the information of others, Gamer 69. I appreciate that, if you were a member of either, you would know that there is no age criteria.

You mention you were mobilised in 2006. Benefits would have been under RFPS (not AFPS 05). Could that be where things are going wrong?

Regarding unclaimed pensions, the Veterans Gateway runs a couple of awareness campaigns each year and Veterans UK do carry out tracing exercises. Regarding AFPS benefits for veterans and their families, the Veterans Gateway fields dozens of such questions a month - so help is on hand.

 

[partyr]

You also have to realise that an AFP is non-contributory other than days served, so there is no obligation to set up a monitoring service like you have in your NHS pension which you are paying money into.

 

[Gamer 69]

My comment about AFPS 05 and AFPS 15 was for the information of others, Gamer 69. I appreciate that, if you were a member of either, you would know that there is no age criteria.

You mention you were mobilised in 2006. Benefits would have been under RFPS (not AFPS 05). Could that be where things are going wrong?

Regarding unclaimed pensions, the Veterans Gateway runs a couple of awareness campaigns each year and Veterans UK do carry out tracing exercises. Regarding AFPS benefits for veterans and their families, the Veterans Gateway fields dozens of such questions a month - so held is on hand.

Again, thanks for your response.

I actually spoke to the Regimental Administrative Officer at Chilwell. He explained that reserve pension allocations would go to AFPS 05, in fact I recall he asked me if I wanted to move AFPS 75 to '05 for one scheme (which I didn't as '05 was notoriously seen as a worse deal when I was in regular service). I appreciate that what you are saying is that this was in error, if it was a reserve form scheme.

It looks like RFPS 05 is pretty similarly named. Nonetheless, it reinforces the confusion bourne by many ex-service personnel. Again, dates of service were provided in the note, so I don't the (potential) wrong letter in the request is sufficient to justify it's ommission.

Potentially a hypothetical question, but not really sure why there is a difference in RFPS and the AFPS as this implies an inequality in people doing the same job? Unless this is purely an administrative distinction to manage under the split between reserve manning etc.

 

[Gamer 69]

You also have to realise that an AFP is non-contributory other than days served, so there is no obligation to set up a monitoring service like you have in your NHS pension which you are paying money into.

It's part of the terms and conditions and the pension is so reputable, it is a good reason for recruitment and retention.
This isn't a valid excuse in my opinion. In fact given the non-contributory factor, it would be even easier to set-up a forecasting model.

 

[Forces Pension Society]

Again, thanks for your response.

I actually spoke to the Regimental Administrative Officer at Chilwell. He explained that reserve pension allocations would go to AFPS 05, in fact I recall he asked me if I wanted to move AFPS 75 to '05 for one scheme (which I didn't as '05 was notoriously seen as a worse deal when I was in regular service). I appreciate that what you are saying is that this was in error, if it was a reserve form scheme.

It looks like RFPS 05 is pretty similarly named. Nonetheless, it reinforces the confusion bourne by many ex-service personnel. Again, dates of service were provided in the note, so I don't the (potential) wrong letter in the request is sufficient to justify it's ommission.

Potentially a hypothetical question, but not really sure why there is a difference in RFPS and the AFPS as this implies an inequality in people doing the same job? Unless this is purely an administrative distinction to manage under the split between reserve manning etc.

Each scheme sets out who is eligible to be a member and AFPS 05 is definitely for Regular personnel only and RFPS is definitely for FTRS and mobilised reserves.

Having been in the team that devised these schemes I can tell you that a major, and for mobilised reserves, the most important difference is that members did not have to serve the 2 year Vesting Period to become entitled to preserved benefits. If the Vesting Period applied, most reservists and lots of FTRS personnel would not qualify for benefits.

 

[Gamer 69]

Each scheme sets out who is eligible to be a member and AFPS 05 is definitely for Regular personnel only and RFPS is definitely for FTRS and mobilised reserves.

Having been in the team that devised these schemes I can tell you that a major, and for mobilised reserves, the most important difference is that members did not have to serve the 2 year Vesting Period to become entitled to preserved benefits. If the Vesting Period applied, most reservists and lots of FTRS personnel would not qualify for benefits.

Thanks, that makes more sense to me now. It would be a proper kick to the balls for operational tours to not accure pension contributions (what would that be otherwise, 3 tours including leave etc). I appreciate you can see why I was originally confused when I have an RAO Captain, at Chillwell specifically, telling me something different.