Ministry of Defence
MODs Veterans UK organisation, part of DBS, has launched a campaign to encourage service personnel, veterans and their families to get pension ready there is also a short guide available in support.
The campaign aims to promote the armed forces pension schemes, which are administered by Veterans UK and motivate the armed forces community to start thinking about their pension throughout their service career and not just as they are reaching the end of it.
Veterans UK provide several tools for serving personnel, including a yearly pension Benefit Information Statement (BIS), 1 free pension forecast per year and the online Armed Forces Pension Scheme calculator. Our armed forces are also encouraged to keep their JPA record up-to-date so when its time to apply for their pension there will be no delays.
Its also vital for the veterans community to let Veterans UK know about any change of circumstances after they have left service and to remember to apply for their pension at the right time. Our former armed forces personnel deserve the pension they are entitled to and at present our veterans are failing to claim 320 million in pensions they have built up during their service.
Youve earned it, you apply for it, well pay it!
Whether they are a new recruit, or a serviceman or woman starting to think about the road ahead to Civvy Street, or a veteran with a preserved pension, its never too early for them to start thinking about their pension.
Mark Lancaster TD VR MP, Minister for Defence Veterans, Reserves and Personnel, said:
I am delighted to endorse the Veterans UK Service to civvy are you pension ready? campaign. Our servicemen and women make enormous sacrifices to protect our country and we need to do all that we can to ensure that they receive their Armed Forces Pension. The aim of the campaign is to encourage service personnel, veterans and their families to think about their Armed Forces Pension throughout their career and beyond, we want to help them to help themselves become pension ready.
Rob Rowntree, Head of Veterans UK, said:
As Head of Veterans UK I am delighted to be able to help launch Service to civvy are you pension ready?. At Veterans UK we strive to deliver the best service we can to all our customers and we hope this campaign will help serving personnel, veterans and their families better understand the services we offer, especially the armed forces pension schemes.
We want serving personnel to check their JPA HR records and for veterans to get in touch when they move house or their details change. Its easy to forget that youve got a pension ready to be paid at retirement and if people dont apply for their pensions when the time is right, we cant pay them the money they deserve. Pensions are hugely important and we need to make sure that the wider armed forces community become much more pension ready. After all, theyve earned it!