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Paul McGinness, who passed away from cancer at the age of 43, had the reassurance that his family would have financial support through his civil servant pension. Unfortunately, since his death in January, his widow, Fiona McGinness, has been ensnared in a frustrating and prolonged bureaucratic process. The difficulties stem from the transition of the pension scheme’s administration to the outsourcing company Capita, which has been facing significant operational challenges.
Thousands of civil servants and their families have encountered delays in accessing both lump-sum payments and ongoing pension benefits due to glitches and inefficiencies in Capita’s systems. Fiona described her experience: despite submitting the required paperwork, she initially received only partial forms and had to resubmit documents such as the death certificate, marriage certificate, and their children’s birth certificates. She shared with BBC Scotland News, “Capita told me it would usually take 12 weeks to sort out but it’ll be longer due to their current problems. Even 12 weeks is far too long.”
Fiona and her children, 15-year-old Rory and 11-year-old Alba, live in Cambuslang. Paul had worked for Social Security Scotland for four years, committed to public service, and had accumulated pensions from previous jobs with the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and the NHS as well. While the other pension funds have already issued their payments, the delayed civil service pension remains unresolved. Fiona expressed the emotional toll this is taking: “We’re now a one-parent family with a single income,” she said. “This is the last of my ‘sadmin’ tasks, and I can’t really move on properly until its resolved. Then we can start planning the rest of our lives properly.”
Capita began managing the Civil Service Pension Scheme at the end of last year, overseeing approximately 1.7 million members. However, along with ongoing system problems, a newly introduced online portal is malfunctioning, causing long wait times and poor customer service. The company faced added scrutiny after confirming a data breach that affected some members’ information. Protests were held at Capita’s annual general meeting, reflecting widespread frustration. Capita responded by saying they are collaborating with the Cabinet Office to restore normal service levels, increasing their trained staff, and apologizing for the delays and distress caused to pensioners and their families
Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More
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