WIDOW'S
PENSION
Did you know that the Widow’s pension
no longer exists?
On Your Behalf told the story
of a woman who’s still grieving the loss of her husband and
has lost out on benefits she was entitled to. She tells us she informed
the Social Security Agency of her husband’s death within days,
and was told she need do nothing. Now she’s lost out financially
because she didn’t know what she was entitled to, and made
her claim too late!
The Social Security Agency
tells us...
"A Bereavement Payment is a tax-free lump sum payable to a
man or a woman, under state pension age, or to a person over state
pension age whose late spouse was not entitled to a Category A Retirement
Pension when they died. It is based on National Insurance contributions.
To qualify for a Bereavement Payment the claim must be made within
three months of the date of death.
In Mrs Harwood’s case
her husband died on 19th February 2003. Mrs Harwood should have
claimed by 19th May 2003. As the claim was not received until 11th
July 2003 her claim was disallowed.
The rules were changed from
April 2003. From then a claim for Bereavement Payment can be made
within one year of the date of death, provided it is on or after
1st April 2003. Unfortunately, as Mrs Harwood’s husband died
before then, the new rules cannot be applied to her case.
Widowed Parent’s Allowance
is a weekly payment of benefit to people who are under state pension
age when their spouse dies and who have dependant children and are
in receipt of Child Benefit for these children.
Widowed Parent’s Allowance
must be claimed within three months of the spouse’s date of
death. A claim received within three months will automatically be
backdated to the date of death.
Mrs Harwood’s claim was
not received until 11th July 2003. Her claim was automatically backdated
for three months – as far as the legislation allows and Widowed
Parent’s Allowance was awarded from 11th April 2003. The claim
could not be backdated to her husband’s date of death.
Mrs Harwood’s appeal
against these decisions is currently under consideration.
The Agency would like to express
its sympathy to Mrs Harwood on the loss of her husband."
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