PENSIONS
- CHECK YOUR ENTITLEMENT
A salutary tale of why it pays dividends
to listen to Eileen Evason On Your Behalf!
One listener had heard Eileen giving advice on pensions, and Eileen
said, as she often does,: "It’s always worth checking
out your entitlement, even if you’d only worked for a short
time".
Elizabeth had worked for 11
years, and thought she wouldn’t get a pension then found out
she’d lost out on nearly £4,000. I asked her how she
felt and she told me "Angry - very angry! I feel it is my money
which I had paid in, and I am entitled to it!"
The Social Security Agency told us...
"As a service to its customers, the SSA sends a claims pack
to people who have title to Retirement Pension around four months
before they reach retirement age, age 60 for a woman and age 65
for a man. This is sent to the last notified address from the Agency’s
records."
However, people should be aware
that it is their personal responsibility to claim any pension to
which they are entitled. A claim to Retirement Pension can be made
four months before age 60 to 65 or up to three months after.
The Agency will deal with claims after this period but legislation
does not permit benefit to be paid for any period more than three
months before the claim is received in the Agency.
ARE YOU CLAIMING
YOUR FULL ENTITLEMENT? Help
the Aged’s SeniorLine is urging Northern Ireland’s older
people to make a free two minute call to check if they are receiving
their full entitlements.
SeniorLine is a free advice
and advocacy service.
To aid older people in claiming
their full entitlements Help the Aged have launched a new simple,
yet comprehensive booklet entitled "Can You Claim It?"
From Housing Benefit to Funeral
Payment, Social Fund Payment to the Minimum Income Guarantee, this
booklet illustrates exactly what the older person is entitled to.
Paula Beattie from Help the
Aged says:-
"Many older people don’t
know what they are entitled to, or find the process of claiming
just too difficult to pursue. SeniorLine can simplify the process,
identify the entitlements they so rightly deserve and point them
in the right direction"
The booklet is available by
ringing SeniorLine on 0808 808 7575
|
