Families of women who died without receiving the state pension they were entitled to can still claim it back
Tens of thousands of women have died without receiving the state pension they were entitled to thanks to a catalogue of errors at the Department for Work and Pensions.
But bereaved relatives can still stake a claim to money their loved ones missed out on – if they can unearth documents to prove it.
Last month, an inspection of DWP accounts by the National Audit Office revealed around 134,000 pensioners were owed an average of close to £9,000 each.
Payback: Bereaved relatives can still stake a claim to money their loved ones missed out on – if they can unearth documents to prove it
Many are married women who weren’t automatically paid an increased pension based on their husband’s work record.
They also include the over-80s and widows who also should have been paid a higher rate.
The DWP says it has to delete pension records four years after someone dies — meaning some families are unlikely to ever receive the cash their loved ones were due.
Sir Steve Webb, the former pensions minister who uncovered the scandal — and now partner at consultancy firm LCP — says: ‘I have no doubt that many tens of thousands of women have died without ever receiving the correct pension and this will not be put right unless the family happen to have kept paperwork or can obtain it from a bank.’
The DWP urged anyone with proof their relative had been underpaid to write to: The Pension Service, Post Handling Site A, Wolverhampton, WV98 1AF. They can also telephone 0800 731 0469.
b.wilkinson@dailymail.co.uk
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