Are You Told What Your Exact Pension/Gratuity Will Be Before You Leave?
 

I leave the RAF in Jan 08 and am sure that when I attended the Financial Aspects of Resettlement Brf at Uxbridge, the chap from the Force's Pension Society said that in the last couple of month's of service, I would receive a definitive statement of what my pension/gratuity would be. As I haven't as yet received anything, I today called JPAC and was told that I wouldn't get any pre-notification of my entitlement and would have to just wait until the money hits my bank account in January to find out what i would get!! I have got a pension forecast but it conveniently contains a disclaimer to the effect that if it is incorrect, tough! Not helpful when I am trying to arrange a mortgage so I can move out of SFA.

Anybody know if I should be getting formal notification of my exact entitlement and when it might arive?

Thanks
HPT

Interesting note out today regarding the uncertainty of Commutation rights for those of us of AFPS75, the likelihood being that commutation entitlement will be reduced. Rules will change entitlement on service accrued post April 2006 and should not affect those leaving before a decision is made. The rest of us wait with baited breath...

Cue more cries of 'change of terms of service etc...'

Yes, this was discussed at the FAR bfg which anyone in their last 2 years can attend. I think someone has covered this elsewhere on PPrune but ISTR that the maximum commutation post Apr 06 is 25% of accrued benefit and not the 50% it previously was. Somebody here will have that detail but I was told at the FAR that it shouldn't have too much impact......

HPT

gngr29 or any other admin guru out there, how do you check on JPA which pension scheme JPA thinks you are on?

I don't think you can tell which pension you are on with only self-service rights. However while looking for that info I clicked on "View termination data" thinking it might be in there and found out I currently hold 2 commissions (one SSC and one PC) both showing as Active with different discharge dates.

Any bets on whether I'll get 2 pensions? :uhoh:

No.


But you will get two lots of Tax.....

South Bound, HPT
 

The reduced commutation level for service after 1 Apr 06 is already in force, as it was believed to be a requirement enforced by the Finance Act 2004, which took effect in 2006. However, that interpretation has benn called into question, and MoD is now consulting urgently with HM Treasury and HMRC to clarify the requirements of the Act and whether they were intended to apply to commutation rights within the AFPS. That is the subject of the latest bulletin. Unhelpfully, it says that, pending a decision, commutation will continue under the "old rules", which I take to mean those that have been applied since 2006, rather than prior to the Finance Act coming into force - I could be wrong, as the intended meaning isn't abudantly clear. If I am right, then the best scenario is that full 50% commutation might be restored, while the worst that should happen is that the current restriction to 25% for service after Apr 06 will continue. An important point to note, regardless, is that currently you must apply to commute before leaving service in order to achieve the maximum amount. You can delay your application until after you have left, but, under the current interpretation at least, you cannot then commute any of your pension due for service after Apr 06.

Regards

Ginseng

In that case the IBN is confusing and contradictory as it suggest to me that the initial reaction was no change and then subsequent guidance has come in causing this review. Does that mean then that the Pension Calculator provides a worst case commutation at the moment? I do hope so...

Which Pension Scheme
 

Kitbag,

the best way to check which scheme JPA 'thinks' you're on is to submit a Service Request. Basically ask them the direct question. They have to come back to you within 10 days (I think) and then you've got the evidence in writing to hold against them when it all goes wrong.

Click on JPAC iSupport User, then Create SR, then click on iSupport Service Request. Type the question in and click submit.

Check back after a few days then click back into JPAC iSupport User and view SRs and click on the relevant Service Request you've submitted to look for updates.

Of course you could always ring them but then you'll have to evidence trail.

Gngr29

gngr29

TVM

Kb:)

Would appear JPA is pi55ing THEM off as well now ...

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main...ntroops119.xml

;)

An MoD spokesman admitted "issues" with JPA. "We would like to apologise to any individuals who may have been inconvenienced."


They would only 'like to' apologise for this utter crock. Which is far from admitting that it is riddled with faults, a total disaster and one of the biggest blows to morale in existence, from what I read.

Why don't the heads of whoever insisted on introducing this useless system before it was ready roll in public?

Someone must surely be accountable........

BEags

I may be wrong - and I'm sure someone will soon tell me (!) - but I think the RAF 2* responsible for the introduction of JPA got promoted at the end of his tour :cool:

Beagle/Wrathmonk- You have to define responsibility in these cases. Is it the 2* who thought up the idea, the 2* who approved it, the 2* who accepted changes to the specification or the 2* who accepted it into service? Some may well be the same but on a project of this size and complexity it would cerainly take longer than the 2 year effective tour length of the 2*. This sort of thing is to be expected the way we 'manage' careers.

The one who was in post, decided it was fit for purpose, and rolled it out to the RAF on 1 Apr 06.

I agree with your sentiments that all those before at least had an "excuse".

JPA Has No Security
 

Have you noticed that when you log into JPA you do not get the padlock that is always present on a secure website. Instead you get a tick and trusted site, this shows that there is no security within JPA, a site that holds all your personal details and that of your family. The security is based entirely on the fact that the site is hosted on the military intranet. I know this to be true as I worked with an individual from 591 SU who was involved in the security audit of JPA, which it never passed! The 10 page security report was swept under the carpet and the people at 591 were told to stop hacking the site. Yet another successful government IT programe......NOT

And you expected security? - lets all get paid first!
 

You might find that this was a topical discussion within 24 hours of the JPA roll out - well over a year ago now come to think of it. Nothing changed then...

Arrived back from the desert to be told by the Admin chaps....JPA says 'No'.....I can't be 'arrived' back in Blighty. Won't be fixed until Jan 08. As a consequence any claim I make has to be sent to Iraqistan for approval by the hierarchy that have now moved on (thus it will be rejected). Fantastic system.....:ugh:

Smudge :*

So I found a link on the Intranet for Help - JPA or HRMS. I rang the JPAC link. "Not me chief I'm airframes" It says ring you. "No you want engines ring xxxxx xxxx"

This was the owner of the help page that said ring JPA. Rang the number and they said . . .

Yes, you guessed, ring JPAC.

But you need a good credit rating to get one.

"What is your monthly income?"

Er, well when they pay me it's quite good.

"Yes but what was your monthly pay for the last 3 months?"

Well it should have been quite good but I was paid short by xxxx and they owe me xxxx.

"Sorry Sir, it would appear that you are a poor credit risk."

~~~~~~~~

And this bit is true: Someone in hotac does not have enough money to pay his hotel bill as he is between units and cannot file a subsistence claim. His former unit is not interested - he has cleared - and he has yet to arrive at the new unit.