PENSION
- CLAIM BY PHONE
Now pensioners can do it on the phone!
Filling out forms - that is...
There’s a need for it.
One claim in every four is filled in wrongly, Mildred Dawson of
the Social Security Agency told On Your Behalf.
There are approximately 20,000
fresh claims made for retirement Pension each year and to date 250,000
people are actually currently receiving retirement pension.
Around 5500 claims are received
in the Pensions branch every year, which are incorrect, inaccurate
or incomplete, or else do not have all relevant documents attached,
for example, birth or marriage certificates.
Now they can claim via the
phone, using a new Retirement Pension Tele-claims service launched
by Maurice Morrow MLA, Minister for Social Development.
The new service provides people
who are about to retire with the opportunity to complete an electronic
claim form via a free phone tele-claims facility based in Castlecourt,
Belfast. And it takes between 6 and 11 minutes to complete a tele-claims
form.
The Minister says:-
"Whether you are 25 or
65 filling in a form can be a tedious and difficult task.
"This new and innovative
tele-claims service will give older people a free, convenient and
straightforward service to help them complete their claim for retirement
pension
"Good government is about
improving access to services and giving customers what they want.
"Research has indicated
that older people find the form difficult to complete. Now one ten
minute phone call can be all that it takes to apply for the retirement
pension."
All people approaching retirement
are automatically contacted by letter four months before they retire.
This letter will contain a
flyer clearly describing the service and will also have the Tele-claims
contact number.
Tom Cairns, Director of Corporate
Affairs and Advocacy, of Age Concern Northern Ireland, said:-
"We welcome this new service.
Any initiative that eases the pain of completing complex forms must
be saluted.
"The new tele-claims service
will make the first step into retirement a little easier by making
the retirement pension form more accessible and it effectively speeds
up the process."
The tele-claims service will
provide the customer with the following options:-
1. telephone
the tele-claims service and give details to the tele-claims operator
2. ring
the tele-claims service and request a claim form, which is then
completed and returned by the customer
3. complete
a tear- off slip to receive a claim form in the post, which is then
completed and returned by the customer
4. email the tele-claims service
team who will then telephone the customer at a time and place convenient
to the customer
The tele-claims service is
exclusively for the use of people who are about to retire and cannot
be used as a help line for customers already claiming retirement
pension.
Free phone lines will be open
from 9am-5pm, Monday to Friday, and a text phone will be available
for customers with speech and hearing difficulties.
OPAS - The Pensions
Advisory Service
11 Belgrave Road
London SW1V 1RB
Tel: 020 7233 8080
Occupational Pensions
Regulatory Authority
Invictu House
Trafalgar Place
Brighton
East Sussex BN1 4DW
Tel: 01273 627600
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