Now we are all into our New Year stride, the time is right for our first 2023 Member update. You may have seen our New Year press release here, reflecting on a “record breaking” 2022; this year is even more significant for Armed Forces Pensions and the Society.

 

First, 2023 is when the AFPS 15 Remedy (McCloud) ‘rubber hits the road’ as I know many of you are tracking closely. We will continue to influence the MoD to ensure those affected receive the information needed to make timely and fully informed decisions – and I do not underestimate the scale of the challenge involved for all parties.

 

Next, and linked to the Remedy, all those affected will be reverted to their legacy (AFPS 75 or 05) Schemes for service up to 31 March 2022, as if they had never been on AFPS 15 up to that point. The Remedy implementation is due to begin in October, whereafter those affected will start to be contacted by Veterans UK. Please look out for our AFPS 15 Remedy (McCloud) SITREPs, follow us on social media and visit the members’ area of the website to get answers to your FAQs.

 

Further, we will continue to press the MoD and wider Government to ‘do the right thing’ in relation to the Armed Forces Pension. The Cost Cap issue and pension taxation will remain high on our agenda, as will seeking to understand and influence any potential changes to the AFPS emerging from the MoD commissioned Haythornthwaite Review of Armed Forces Incentivisation, due to report in the spring.

 

Finally, we seek to improve our overall membership offer during 2023. A crucial step is to ask you, our Members, what you think via a membership survey starting in February. Please get involved as your replies will shape how we develop our membership offers package for you in the years to come.

 

So, a full and worthy agenda for 2023, and as we know, strength in numbers helps increase influence, so please do encourage those across your networks to join us, especially this year given the significance of what is coming up. Thank you for your continued support.

 

Maj Gen Neil Marshall OBE, Chief Executive, Forces Pension Society