Decisions taken by pension schemes and employers about member’s pension rights can have a significant effect on the pension benefits that members receive and their income in retirement. Where members are unhappy with decisions that affect them, in many cases they can appeal those decisions through the pension scheme’s internal dispute resolution procedure. We can help guide you through the appeal process and ensure that your appeal is targeted, to give you the best chance of success. We want to offer you the best pension advice we possibly can.
We have particular expertise in advising on appeals to the Local Government Pension Scheme and other public sector schemes, such as the Teacher’s Pension Scheme and the NHS Pension Scheme. This experience means that we understand the common issues you may face and need to appeal about and can advise quickly and effectively.
We often deal with appeals about ill health retirement. In one such appeal we helped the member understand the test in the pension scheme rules that needed to be met in order for his pension benefits to be released early. We looked at what sort of evidence he needed to gather and provided a clear, written explanation of the test that could be given to medical professionals providing reports in support of the appeal, so that they could ensure their evidence addressed the criteria in the test.
As one of the West Midlands most successful and respected law firms, we are passionate about helping you with any private pension challenges you may be facing. Our advice is practical, clear and we work with our clients to guide them through every step of the legal process. Our experienced teams have extensive sector knowledge and experience to assist organisations through periods of uncertainty, change and difficulty.
If you would like further information about pensions or how our employment law team can help you, please get in touch.
A recent case stands as a good reminder to employers to be careful when distinguishing between pensionable employment under a pension scheme’s rules and employment under a contract of employment.
Another case that might challenge holiday-pay practice for variable hours staff has been decided by the EAT.
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