MY HUSBAND has just left the military after more than 30 years’ service. The Army has known that he is leaving and the specific date for nearly a year and therefore his rank, seniority, length of service and departure date – all the details needed to prepare the final financial settlement.
Why, then, does the system require an entire month to process the payment of the lump sum he has spent 30 years earning? We are relying on that money for several reasons. No matter how hard you budget, money is tight when leaving the Army – it has taken my husband several months to find a job.
In this day and age with electronic banking and the computerised JPA system, why isn’t that money paid in the day he leaves? There is no excuse for it.
Name & address supplied
Response from PS10(A): Without the details of your husband’s service I am unable to offer specific comment on his case. However, I will cover the three main pension schemes.
The Armed Forces Pension Scheme 2015 (AFPS 15) is a Career Average Revalued Earnings scheme; every month the MOD adds 1/47th of monthly pensionable earnings into the Service person’s pension pot. The final value of AFPS 15 benefits can only be determined after payment of the individual’s final monthly salary, which is usually on or around the 23rd of each month. As AFPS 15 benefits are related to the payroll process, pension benefits and Early Departure Payments are paid up to a maximum of 30 working days from the date of discharge.
This allows all pensionable pay to be accounted for when calculating pension benefits, ensuring Service personnel receive their correct entitlement.
Where a Service person has remained on AFPS 75 or AFPS 05, Defence Business Services will pay pension benefits within 30 calendar days of discharge. DBS routinely processes AFPS 75 and AFPS 05 benefits within 10 working days of discharge.