Armed Forces Pension Scheme (PO-7911)

Ombudsman’s Determination

Outcome

Mrs D’s complaint against Veterans UK is partly upheld, but there is a part of the complaint I do not agree with. To put matters right (for the part that is upheld) Veterans UK should pay Mrs D an additional £250 for non-financial injustice.

My reasons for reaching this decision are explained in more detail below.

Complaint summary

Mrs D’s complaint concerns her pension credit pension paid by the AFPS as the result of a pension sharing order (PSO). She has been informed that the pension put into payment for her in 2010 was incorrectly calculated and must be reduced.

Mrs D says she was misled by the information provided by Veterans UK. She says she resigned from her teaching post, in August 2011, in the expectation that she would continue to receive an annual index-linked pension of £5,788.13 from the AFPS 75. Mrs D says Veterans UK requested sight of the draft PSO because a previous order had to be set aside by the court. She says the intention of the PSO was to provide her with 27% of her former spouse’s pension from her 60^th birthday.

Mrs D has calculated a loss of £14,000 over her remaining lifetime.