Read to the bottom of the article and you will find this pragmatic advice for anyone so affected.
Were it me (and I guess it still could be) I would take the time to do all this and more (write to me MP etc) even if it were tuppence happeny a month.
We are talking retired folk here; you can't be ignored...write long letters...someone somewhere has to answer them. Get your Victor Meldrew head on folks. Turn it into fun for you and a size nine headache for some one else.
Nowt like getting your money's worth
Advice to Military veterans
Members of the Armed Forces Pension Scheme (AFPS) have been advised they are facing a cut to their income may have a right keep their payments at the current level, despite being told they have no right of appeal.
Nigel Kern, pensions operations manager at the Money and Pensions Service (MPS), told i: “This can be distressing for those affected – but we are here to help.”
As a first step Mr Kern advised veterans affected by the cuts to talk to the pension administrator Equiniti. If a repayment has to be made, then it’s normally reasonable to allow you to repay over the same period it was paid. For example, if you’ve been overpaid for two years, you should be allowed two years to repay.
Military pensioners should also consider whether they have a ‘strong reliance’ case. The AFPS is obliged to consider cases where veterans can prove they had no reason to think there was an overpayment, and that they have come to rely on the money and repayment would cause significant hardship.
If veterans are not happy with responses from the pension administrator, they can complain to The Pensions Ombudsman if the scheme insists on recovering the over-payment without reasonable conditions. However, the Ombudsman will support the recovery of overpayments unless a strong reliance case can be shown.
To speak to a pensions expert at the Government’s MoneyHelper service for free call 0800 011 3797 or find more information online at
www.moneyhelper.org.uk.