For serving personnel, the Armed Forces Pension Schemes Application Form (AFPS Form 1) was updated in January 2025. It is available on JPA and on the gov.uk website here.
For serving members in scope for the 2015 remedy (McCloud), in the first instance, we recommend that you wait to receive your ‘Election’ Remediable Service Statement (RSS) from Veterans UK, which will detail your election options, before completing the AFPS Form 1.
Please note the difference between an ‘Election’ RSS and an ‘Information’ RSS, as you will only be able to make your remedy election on the AFPS Form 1 if you have received an Election RSS. You can recognise an Election RSS because it states on the front page the date of exit / discharge and makes it clear that you require to take action. An Information RSS, on the other hand, is for information only and states on the front page that no action is required from you. The Information RSS outlines your pension position up to the date the RSS was produced under both your legacy scheme and AFPS15. It is not a projection of the pension benefits that will be payable on retirement from the Armed Forces.
If you are approaching your final day of service and have either not received your Election RSS or have received it and need time to consider your options, we recommend that you complete and submit the APFS Form 1 anyway, which you must do before your final day of service. There is an option on the form to state that you have/have not yet received your RSS and need time to make your election choice (please note that you will not be able to make your election without having received the Election RSS). Thereafter, once you have received your Election RSS and are content with your options, you can submit a second AFPS Form 1 (either on JPA, if you still have access, or in hard copy to Veterans UK) to make your election.
If you are unable to make an election prior to your final day in service, legacy scheme benefits will be paid for the remedy period pending your election. If you subsequently elect to receive AFPS 15 benefits for the remedy period, they will be applied retrospectively and, where necessary, the pension/Early Departure Payment will be subject to adjustment.
