Veterans UK have produced a report to explain the appeal and dispute procedures to members of the Armed Forces Pension Scheme, with statistics from the last Scheme Year and details of the lessons learned from appeals which were concluded during the year.
Veterans UK state:
As the Armed Forces Pensions Scheme (AFPS) Administrators for the Ministry of Defence (MOD), we aim to get decisions right first-time, every time. However, there are occasions where customers believe we have come to the wrong decision, or that they have suffered maladministration. If this is the case, customers can submit formal appeals or complaints to the Scheme.
The evidence demonstrates that the Scheme administers a transparent, supportive, and reliable appeals process, backed up by a low rate of appeals across all case types and a low rate of overturning of original decisions. Routes of appeal are well communicated and accessible for all customers; supporting them with accessible forms, gathering evidence on their behalf and keeping them notified of progress.
The statistics demonstrate strong, robust decision making in what are complex and sensitive cases. The Scheme has learned valuable lessons from the data analysed in this paper, and specifically from cases in which the Scheme’s original decision or position was changed on appeal.
As Scheme administrators we recognise the need to continually improve our provision of service to members who dispute decisions or outcomes and will continue to give attention to how we can best support our members to provide even more comprehensive and useful evidence in support of future appeals.
The report is now available on GOV.UK
