Page 17 - Alive January 2016 Newsletter Flip Book

“THE RulES ARE uTTERly CONTRADICTORy AND IT MAKES ME ANGRy. AN OFFICER AND AN EX- SPOuSE MAy BOTH HAvE CONTRIBuTED IN DIFFERENT WAyS TO THEIR PlANS FOR RETIREMENT, HOWEvER, WE ARE THE lAST PEOPlE THAT THEy lOvED - FOR AN EX-PARTNER TO KEEP THEIR SHARE OF THE PENSION WHEN THE WIDOW ISN’T AllOWED TO IS BIZARRE
regulations.
“Although your child becomes an adult
at 18, you always have that responsibility to them; when our daughter faces difficulties as we all sometimes do, I always think Colin could have helped her if he was here,” she points out.
But Kate is also motivated by a seemingly perverse ruling that means if the ex-spouse of a fallen officer has been awarded a share of the officer’s pension as part of the divorce settlement, their ex is able to retain their pension regardless of whether they remarry or move in with a partner.
“The rules are utterly contradictory and it makes me angry. An officer and an ex-spouse may both have contributed in different ways to their plans for retirement, however, we are the last people that they loved - for an ex-partner to keep their share of the pension when the widow isn’t allowed to is bizarre,” she says.
Q and As outline latest changes to survivor pensions
The Home Secretary announced in the House of Commons on 12 October 2015 that the 1987 Police Pension Scheme would be amended in recognition of the risks faced as an everyday part of policing.
The amendment will allow widows, widowers and civil partners of police officers who have died on duty who qualify for a survivor pension after 1 April 2015 to continue to receive their survivor benefits for life regardless of remarriage, civil partnership or cohabitation in the future.
The following Q and As explain the effect of the amendment.
Will this apply to all widows, widowers and civil partners?
This amendment applies to widows, widowers and civil partners of police officers who die or died on duty (and are in receipt of a special or augmented award under Regulations 13 and 14 of the Police (Injury Benefit) Regulations 2006) and who remarried, formed a civil partnership or began cohabitation on or after 1 April 2015.
Will these pensions be reinstated for those who remarried before 1 April 2015?
In keeping with the policy applied as part
of the Armed Forces’ changes announced in 2014, any pensions already surrendered before 1 April 2015 will not be reinstated.
What does ‘on duty’ include?
On duty will include journeys to and from work. It also includes injuries the police officer would not have received had they not been known to be a constable, or in circumstances where the police pension authority are of the opinion that the statutory conditions may be satisfied and that the injury should be treated as one received in the execution of duty.
What happens if i divorce and remarry in the future?
Once a marriage, civil partnership or cohabitation has ceased, the widow, widower or civil partner can apply to the Police Pension Authority to have the pension reinstated. If it is reinstated and the widow, widower or civil partner remarries, forms a civil partnership or cohabits after 1 April 2015 and provided that the police officer died on duty, their survivor pension will be awarded for life.
Have the rules also changed for those in receipt of a special or augmented award under the Police (injury) Benefit Regulations 2006?
yes. The amendments made to the Police Pensions Regulations 1987 are also reflected
in the Police (Injury Benefit) Regulations 2006.
When will these Regulations come into force?
The Regulations were laid before Parliament on 18 December 2015 and came into force on 18 January 2016, but are back dated to have effect from 1 April 2015.
Who has been consulted regarding these amendments?
The Home Office consulted with the Police Advisory Board of England and Wales (PABEW) and sought the views of the Northern Ireland Policing Board and the Police Association for Northern Ireland.
Who should i approach for more information on my entitlements as an officer/survivor in regards to pension entitlements?
If you would like to discuss your pension options in further detail please contact your police pension administrator. you can find a list of police pension administrators and their contact details at the following link: http://tinyurl.com/ PPAcontacts
17