A woman has been left without her pension after an administrative error leading to fears that thousands more could end up being affected.
Jane Farrow, 66, worked for Birmingham City Council for over 20 years and was due to receive a lump sum of £15,000 and £12,000 annually thereafter.
Mrs Farrow had planned to use the money to visit friends, replace her old car and take out her elderly mother for whom she is a carer, but these plans have had to be put on hold due to the delay.
The mother of one has been left to survive on a state pension with her pension provider unable to give her a date for when she can expect her first payment.
She told BirminghamLive: “I’ve got my state pension obviously but that’s it. It’s things I want to do for myself that I just can’t do. And it’s the uncertainty of not knowing when this is coming.
“It should be there as far as I’m concerned. There’s a lump sum of £15,000 then there’s the annual pension pay monthly I presume. It’s £12,000 per year.
West Midlands Pension Fund apologised for the delay, stating that they were unaware of her intention to retire which subsequently caused a knock-on effect.
Upon looking into the matter, West Midlands Pension Fund said her employer had stated her reason for leaving as a “deferment” rather than a “retirement”, leaving them unaware of that the payment was required.
Her son, Richard Bailey said he “pleaded” with the company to tell him when she could expect her payment to no avail. Mr Bailey said: “The fact is she is still – in August – waiting for her pension. She is owed a lump sum and pension payments need to start but when you speak to them they say: ‘Sorry there’s a backlog, a computer system change and we’ve got a huge backlog, we can’t give any dates.
“We think it’s going to be over a year until she gets her pension. So she’s relying on her state pension, she cares for her mother who is 90 and needs looking after. It’s just a really stressful situation. And there must be loads of people in this position.”
Mrs Farrow, who cares for her elderly mother described the impact it has had on her, as she said: “Getting her out and seeing people is a big boost. She hasn’t got extra money herself so I have that to pay for too.
“It will be a weight off my mind to know that I haven’t got to keep checking what’s in the bank because I’ll know what’s in there hopefully.”
The pension provider said: “We note Mrs Farrow has contacted the Fund on numerous occasions to seek access to her benefits, and now that the queries in relation to the transfer have been resolved, to enable her benefits to be combined, we are working to produce her with a retirement quote over the coming week.
“The Fund will make payment of her benefits on return of her options form and her case will be monitored to ensure the forms are actioned upon receipt. We apologise for the delays experienced and will be writing to Mrs Farrow with a formal update on her case.”
Have you been affected by a delayed pension? We would like to hear from you. You can contact us by emailing conor.wilson@reachplc.com
