Long lost Police pension
Discussion
Hi
Long time lurker first time poster - as has been said before this forum is a fantastic source of information and some very knowledgeable people contributing. Wondering if anyone has any experience/guidance/advice on the below:
In short my girlfriend's grandad was a Police Officer with Thames Valley Police who sadly died in a car crash nearly 50 years ago (way before my girlfriend was born and when her mum was 15). Her grandmother then very sadly died less than a month later from a brain hemorrhage, resulting in my girlfriend's mum moving and being looked after by a close friend. Her grandfather had a police pension, however, my girlfriend's mum has very little information on her dad (she doesn't know his shoulder number for instance and important documents weren't kept/discarded/ not thought of importance). She has since obtained copies of her birth certificate (so can show she was his daughter). My question is could her father's pension be recovered given the time passed? Has anyone had any previous experience of this?
Appreciate that a huge amount of time has passed, but I would like to be able to help her.
Grateful for any advice.
Thanks,
Long time lurker first time poster - as has been said before this forum is a fantastic source of information and some very knowledgeable people contributing. Wondering if anyone has any experience/guidance/advice on the below:
In short my girlfriend's grandad was a Police Officer with Thames Valley Police who sadly died in a car crash nearly 50 years ago (way before my girlfriend was born and when her mum was 15). Her grandmother then very sadly died less than a month later from a brain hemorrhage, resulting in my girlfriend's mum moving and being looked after by a close friend. Her grandfather had a police pension, however, my girlfriend's mum has very little information on her dad (she doesn't know his shoulder number for instance and important documents weren't kept/discarded/ not thought of importance). She has since obtained copies of her birth certificate (so can show she was his daughter). My question is could her father's pension be recovered given the time passed? Has anyone had any previous experience of this?
Appreciate that a huge amount of time has passed, but I would like to be able to help her.
Grateful for any advice.
Thanks,
I would say not but i'm no expert. Did he die on duty?
The rules regarding pensions have been through a lot of changes over the years.
The Police Pensions regulations of ?, 1973, 1976, 1987, 2006 will likely guide you.
I suggest download and digest..
In the 1987 act which covers me, if I died my spouse got a pension, if she dies then that's it.
If i die without being married my pension dies with me.
Sounds like, he died, she got a pension, and then she sadly died very shortly after. That's it I think.
Pension records that old are likely to be sketchy have you spoken to his old force personnel dept?
Any old photos of him in uniform with collar number?
The rules regarding pensions have been through a lot of changes over the years.
The Police Pensions regulations of ?, 1973, 1976, 1987, 2006 will likely guide you.
I suggest download and digest..
In the 1987 act which covers me, if I died my spouse got a pension, if she dies then that's it.
If i die without being married my pension dies with me.
Sounds like, he died, she got a pension, and then she sadly died very shortly after. That's it I think.
Pension records that old are likely to be sketchy have you spoken to his old force personnel dept?
Any old photos of him in uniform with collar number?
HD,
Based on my understanding of what you describe, I think the chances of the Police Pension Scheme having any liability are very slim.
What do you mean by “recovered”? What pension are you looking for? I think it is very doubtful that there will be a child’s pension in any way.
There is also the problem of whether or not records have been kept, given grandfather died many years ago.
You could do all the research yourself, but due to the time lapsed you will be better served by contacting the Pensions Ombudsman's Early Resolution Service. Give them a call on 0800 917 4487, then select option 1. All the PO's services are free. Even so, I am not sure that they will be able to help you in the circumstances that you describe.
There are other firms out there on the internet that will offer you a tracing service for a fee. Usually there is never any need to retain them because the PO’s services are free. And in your case the chances of a positive outcome are very slight so avoid an upfront fee at least.
None of what I have said should be taken as encouragement for you to think that something will be found eventually.
R.
Based on my understanding of what you describe, I think the chances of the Police Pension Scheme having any liability are very slim.
What do you mean by “recovered”? What pension are you looking for? I think it is very doubtful that there will be a child’s pension in any way.
There is also the problem of whether or not records have been kept, given grandfather died many years ago.
You could do all the research yourself, but due to the time lapsed you will be better served by contacting the Pensions Ombudsman's Early Resolution Service. Give them a call on 0800 917 4487, then select option 1. All the PO's services are free. Even so, I am not sure that they will be able to help you in the circumstances that you describe.
There are other firms out there on the internet that will offer you a tracing service for a fee. Usually there is never any need to retain them because the PO’s services are free. And in your case the chances of a positive outcome are very slight so avoid an upfront fee at least.
None of what I have said should be taken as encouragement for you to think that something will be found eventually.
R.
The Thames Valley Police Pension administrators are
XPS Administration
PO Box 485
Middlesbrough
TS1 9EE
01642 727333
penmail@xpsgroup.com
They are also my pension administrators and have always been extremely helpful to me so give them a bell or drop them an email.
It's always worth a try but as has been mentioned earlier, I'd think it unlikely that any pension is due after the death of his widow.
XPS Administration
PO Box 485
Middlesbrough
TS1 9EE
01642 727333
penmail@xpsgroup.com
They are also my pension administrators and have always been extremely helpful to me so give them a bell or drop them an email.
It's always worth a try but as has been mentioned earlier, I'd think it unlikely that any pension is due after the death of his widow.
peterperkins said:
Sounds like, he died, she got a pension, and then she sadly died very shortly after. That's it I think
That would be my take on it otherwise how long do you expect these pension schemes to keep paying out to 'dependants'?My understanding the '87 scheme is the best of the best and those before/after don't have the same benefits. Some earlier pension schemes didn't offer a casting benefit to a spouse.
Thanks for your comments and also pointers to the regulations and also contact details. I'll have a look through, but I suspect the general consensus is right.
To answer a couple of your questions, he didn't die on duty, sadly a car accident on the M4 on his way back from football. Apparently no photos of her dad in uniform.
To answer a couple of your questions, he didn't die on duty, sadly a car accident on the M4 on his way back from football. Apparently no photos of her dad in uniform.
The 1987 Police Pension scheme pays half of the officers pension to the surviving wife/husband when the police officer dies. When the wife/husband dies the pension ends.
I would suggest that the pension referred to by the OP isn't lost, it's dead. Just like that Monty Python parrot. It is no more.
I would suggest that the pension referred to by the OP isn't lost, it's dead. Just like that Monty Python parrot. It is no more.
Edited by LeadFarmer on Tuesday 9th July 00:58
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