Army Rumour Service

Register a free account today to join our community
Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site, connect with other members through your own private inbox and will receive smaller adverts!

Can those receiving an SAP get an accurate spouse/dependents pension forecast?

Mosquito

Old Salt
I receive a 100% SAP under AFPS 75 and I’d like to know what pension my wife and/or children will receive if I pre-decease them. I asked VetsUK(Glasgow) for a pension forecast but, rather than considering my personal circumstances (i.e. my SAP), they have only considered the SIP that I received for a few months in 2006/7.

Main question:
Can those receiving an SAP get an accurate spouse/dependents pension forecast on their SAP?

My background
  • AFPS75
  • (Upon medical discharge in 2006, awarded SIP of £2932, which was soon uprated to an SAP).
  • SAP 100% disablement (technically I receive an AFAB, but it’s the equivalent of an SAP): £28,245
  • War Disablement Pension @ 100%: £10,123
  • WPMS & Clothing allowance
  • PIP Daily Living (standard) – paid
  • PIP Mobility (enhanced) – not paid because of WPMS
Pension forecast request submitted
  • Submitted request to AFPS forecast requests
  • VetsUK(Glasgow)'s response at the end of this post.
  • Summary: We cannot provide a pension forecast regarding your SAP nor your death potentially being attributable to your service-related injury.
Questions
  1. What AFPS pension will my wife receive if I pre-decease her and my death is attributable to my service-related injury?
  2. What AFPS pension will my wife receive if I pre-decease her and my death is not attributable to my service-related injury?
  3. If I were to be in receipt of Unemployability Supplement (which I’m probably entitled to but haven’t claimed), how would that affect questions 1 and 2?
  4. Is there any sort of spouse/dependents pension linked to a WDP?

Thanks in advance for any thoughts. I imagine that this is a good topic for @Forces Pension Society. :)


Glasgow’s pension forecast letter
ARMED FORCES PENSION SCHEME(APRS)-FORECAST
Thank you for your recent enquiry requesting details of the pension payable to your spouse should you pre-decease her.

Please note that we can only provide a forecast based on your rank & length of service at discharge. We are unable to provide a forecast based on your death being attributable to service.

Under current regulations your spouse, could expect to receive the following benefits:
A Short Term Family Pension for the first 91 days equating to the rate of your pension in payment at time of death.
Thereafter, she would receive a Forces Family Pension of
£2,042.28 per annum at current rates.
As your children were born of a marriage that took place after you discharged from the Armed Forces they have no entitlement to any dependents benefits under AFPS 75 scheme rules.

Under AFPS rules, a divorced spouse has no entitlement to pension benefits in her own right from the scheme, unless the Courts under the Welfare Reform and Pensions Act 1999 order a Pension Share. However, you should also note that the AFPS must comply with any valid Court Order made in accordance with the Pensions Act 1955(as amended) against certain types of benefits or gratuities, which may become due for payment.

If you pre-decease your spouse she should write to this office. She will then be sent an application form for completion. This should be returned together with a verified copy of the death certificate and marriage certificate, which will be returned immediately after examination. The award of a pension is likely to be delayed if the application form and certificates are not submitted promptly.

Every care has been taken to ensure that the information given is correct and in accordance with current regulations. However, should, this assessment subsequently be found to be inaccurate, the Ministry of Defence can accept no liability for it, nor is the Ministry bound, by reason of anything stated therein, to pay a particular sum at a future date. Should you enter into any financial commitment based on this assessment you will therefore do so at your own risk
 
I receive a 100% SAP under AFPS 75 and I’d like to know what pension my wife and/or children will receive if I pre-decease them. I asked VetsUK(Glasgow) for a pension forecast but, rather than considering my personal circumstances (i.e. my SAP), they have only considered the SIP that I received for a few months in 2006/7.

Main question: Can those receiving an SAP get an accurate spouse/dependents pension forecast on their SAP?

My background
  • AFPS75
  • (Upon medical discharge in 2006, awarded SIP of £2932, which was soon uprated to an SAP).
  • SAP 100% disablement (technically I receive an AFAB, but it’s the equivalent of an SAP): £28,245
  • War Disablement Pension @ 100%: £10,123
  • WPMS & Clothing allowance
  • PIP Daily Living (standard) – paid
  • PIP Mobility (enhanced) – not paid because of WPMS
Pension forecast request submitted
  • Submitted request to AFPS forecast requests
  • VetsUK(Glasgow)'s response at the end of this post.
  • Summary: We cannot provide a pension forecast regarding your SAP nor your death potentially being attributable to your service-related injury.
Questions
  1. What AFPS pension will my wife receive if I pre-decease her and my death is attributable to my service-related injury?
  2. What AFPS pension will my wife receive if I pre-decease her and my death is not attributable to my service-related injury?
  3. If I were to be in receipt of Unemployability Supplement (which I’m probably entitled to but haven’t claimed), how would that affect questions 1 and 2?
  4. Is there any sort of spouse/dependents pension linked to a WDP?

Thanks in advance for any thoughts. I imagine that this is a good topic for @Forces Pension Society. :)


Glasgon forecast letter
Vets UK have told you what your wife would receive from AFPS 75. They are telling you that they cannot assess what may be payable from the War Pension Scheme. The latter only pays spouse benefits in very narrow circumstances.

By WDP I am guessing that you mean DWP. My understanding is that these days individuals' entitlements to state pensions are based on their own NI contributions. If you were in receipt of DWP benefits at the time of you death, my understanding is that they would cease. Your wife's entitlement to benefits would be assessed in her own right. I suggest that for an absolutely accurate answer on the latter, you contact DWP. Sorry
 
Thanks for the quick reply, which is fascinating as I had no idea that the higher SAP payments had no impact on spouse/dependents pension entitlement.

I read one of VetsUK's lines differently and thought that the following sentence suggested that VetsUK can't tell me if my wife/dependents could be eligible for a higher pension because VetsUK's don't have a system in place to adjust pension forecasts for personal circumstances: "Please note that we can only provide a forecast based on your rank & length of service at discharge. We are unable to provide a forecast based on your death being attributable to service." I hadn't considered that the second sentence referred to my War Pension Scheme pension.

By “WDP”, I meant “War Disablement Pension”, which I agree rarely provides pension rights to a partner/dependents (although getting a WDP at 100% and receiving Unemployability Supplement is, I believe, one such category).

I've just noticed that Question 3 was a mistake as I confused the War Pension Scheme with the Armed Forces Pension Scheme.
 
Top