Women who were underpaid 明言する／公表する 年金 for 13 years and only got ONE year's money 支援する are fighting the 政府 for 十分な payouts

  • Audrey Watson, 81, got £1,500 after 存在 wrongly paid for more than a １０年間
  • Her 事例／患者 誘発するd our 調査, which 暴露するd a 大規模な 失敗 by DWP
  • スキャンダル has led to many women receiving large sums in 明言する／公表する 年金
  • Mrs Watson only got one year in arrears, にもかかわらず 存在 underpaid since 2007
  • She and Kathleen Brennan, 73, are 抗議するing to the 議会の Ombudsman
  • Steve Webb has asked it to look at whether DWP was 有罪の of maladministration
  • Why are some women getting smaller sums? Read the DWP's 返答 below

By Tanya Jefferies for Thisismoney.co.uk

Updated:

Audrey and Brian Watson: Couple from Staffordshire sent a question to Steve Webb, sparking our investigation - read their story here

Audrey and Brian Watson: Couple from Staffordshire have spent months trying to 説得する 政府 to relent on her payout

年輩の women who were underpaid 明言する／公表する 年金 for more a １０年間 are stepping up a 戦う／戦い with the 政府 for 十分な backpayments.

Audrey Watson, 81, pictured with husband Brian, received a 12-month backpayment of around £1,500 after 存在 paid too little for 13 years, and is now 宿泊するing a 抗議する with the 議会の Ombudsman.

She is 存在 joined by Kathleen Brennan, 73, who received £1,300 after also 存在 paid incorrectly since 2007.

The pair are supported by former 年金s 大臣 Steve Webb, who has written to the Ombudsman asking it to look at whether the DWP was 有罪の of maladministration, and to find a way to put things 権利.

Tens of thousands of women are 借りがあるd a fortune in lost 明言する／公表する 年金 予定 to a 抱擁する 失敗, which was 暴露するd after the Watsons wrote in to Webb's 年金s column on This is Money earlier this year.?

>>>Do you only qualify for one year of arrears after 存在 underpaid 明言する／公表する 年金? Find out what to do below

This is Money has 報告（する）／憶測d on underpayments 借りがあるd to married women totting up to around £112,00 in the past few months, and two 事例／患者s 伴う／関わるing 未亡人s who received £115,000 and £117,000 それぞれ

But in a cruel 新たな展開, some women are getting fully repaid while others only get a one-year backpayment and 増加するd 明言する／公表する 年金 going 今後 - all depending on when they and their husband were born.

The Watsons, who live in Staffordshire, have spent months trying to 説得する the DWP to relent over her 年金.

Why are some married women 存在 underpaid 明言する／公表する 年金??

Married women who retired on small 明言する／公表する 年金s before April 2016 should get an uplift to 60 per cent of their husband's 支払い（額）s once he reaches 退職 age too.

Since 17 March 2008, the 増加するs are supposed to be (a)自動的な／(n)自動拳銃, but before that women had to make a （人命などを）奪う，主張する to get the 十分な sum they were 予定.

The 政府 was meant to 令状 to the couples 影響する／感情d and ask them to 適用する for an 増加する.?

But all the women who have 行方不明になるd out are 毅然とした neither they n or their husbands received such a letter, and 主張する they would have 行為／法令／行動するd on it if they had done so.

一方／合間, whether you receive a one-year or a 十分な backpayment also depends on whether you reach 明言する／公表する 年金 age before or after your husband, 同様に as his date of birth.

If your husband reached 明言する／公表する 年金 age before 17 March 2008, and you did so after him - even if your 明言する／公表する 年金 age also fell before that 重要な date - you still get 十分な arrears

This is because the DWP should have taken account of your husband's 明言する／公表する 年金 status, and automatically 増加するd your 明言する／公表する 年金 in line with it when you started receiving your 支払い（額）s too.?

Mrs Watson, who is a retired windowdresser, asked for a '義務的な reconsideration' of her 事例／患者 but the DWP's 判決 didn't change.

Mr Watson, 78, a 上級の 経営者／支配人 for a 地元の 当局 before he retired, says they are now turning to the Ombudsman because they feel she has been 不公平に 扱う／治療するd.

Kathleen Brennan has complained to the Ombudsman after the DWP failed to 答える／応じる to three letters, sent by 記録，記録的な／記録するd 配達／演説／出産, asking for a 義務的な reconsideration of her 事例／患者.

Mrs Brennan, 73, a former school catering assistant, lives in Birmingham with her husband Michael, 77, a retired groundworker.

They feel she should be fully repaid like other women who lost out.

Her son Shaun 見積（る）s his mother could be 借りがあるd more than £10,000, and 追加するs: 'That's a big sum of money to my parents who don't have 私的な 年金s and rely on 明言する／公表する 年金.'?

Steve Webb's letter to the 議会の Ombudsman 示唆するs the DWP may have been 有罪の of maladministration for the に引き続いて 推論する／理由s.

- The system of married women having to make a 'second （人命などを）奪う，主張する' for an 増加する in 支払い（額）s when their husband reaches 明言する／公表する 年金 age is too 複雑にするd to rely on an individual understanding and 事実上の／代理 on it.

- The 支配する change in 2008 shows the system wasn't working 効果的に, but at that point no 成果／努力 was made to 接触する women who had 行方不明になるd out, even though the DWP had all the 記録，記録的な／記録するs necessary to identify them.

- The only （警察などへの）密告，告訴（状） women should have received 直接／まっすぐに about a 可能性のある uplift was when they reached 明言する／公表する 年金 age, but this might be years before they could 行為／法令／行動する on it, so some （警察などへの）密告，告訴（状） was 供給（する）d but at the wrong time.

- A 誘発する that a married w oman could make a （人命などを）奪う，主張する was sent 経由で her husband, who should have received a form when he reached 明言する／公表する 年金 age, but not to her direct, so the （警察などへの）密告，告訴（状） given at the 権利 time was sent to the wrong person.

- Tens of thousands of women have 行方不明になるd out on a higher 率 of 明言する／公表する 年金 for more than a １０年間 and lost 潜在的に life-changing sums as a result.

Webb, who now 作品 for 年金 顧問 LCP, says: 'There is no 疑問 in my mind that tens of thousands of married women are 行方不明の out on a higher 明言する／公表する 年金 簡単に because they are unaware of the need to make a second （人命などを）奪う，主張する once their husband turned 65.

'To the extent that the DWP communicated at all, the （警察などへの）密告，告訴（状） was either sent at the wrong time or to the wrong person.

'行方不明の out for more than a １０年間 means that the losses for many women run to thousands of 続けざまに猛撃するs.

'I hope that the Ombudsman will take a serious look at whether DWP was 有罪の of maladministration over this 問題／発行する and will find a way to put things 権利.'

Webb says the most 包括的な 解答 would be to give all the 'pre March 2008' 事例／患者s an (a)自動的な／(n)自動拳銃 uplift to the 訂正する 率 of 明言する／公表する 年金 and fully backdate it, without anyone needing to make a その上の （人命などを）奪う，主張する or fill in any more paperwork.

'This would put them in the position they would have been but for the failings of the DWP to 効果的に 警報 them to the need for a second （人命などを）奪う，主張する.'

It is 不明瞭な how long it will take the Ombudsman to make a 決定／判定勝ち（する）.

A spokesperson for the 議会の and Health Service Ombudsman says: 'We will look carefully at these 事例／患者s when we receive them.

'Unfortunately, 予定 to outdated 法律s that we are calling on 政府 to change, if you want to complain to us about a 政府 department it must be referred by your MP.

'We 勧める people to approach their MP quickly if you have received a final 返答 from DWP about your （民事の）告訴.'

The Ombudsman gives more 詳細（に述べる）s about how to 服従させる／提出する a （民事の）告訴 here, or see below.?

A DWP spokesperson says: 'We are aware of a number of 事例／患者s where individuals have been underpaid 明言する／公表する 年金. We 訂正するd our 記録，記録的な／記録するs and reimbursed those 影響する／感情d as soon as errors were identified.

'We are checking for その上の 事例／患者s, and if any are 設立する awards will also be reviewed and any arrears paid.'

It 追加するs that married women who are already getting a 明言する／公表する 年金 are 要求するd to make a separate （人命などを）奪う，主張する to have it 増加するd if their husband reached 明言する／公表する 年金 age before 17 March 2008.

And it encourages anyone who thinks they have failed to （人命などを）奪う，主張する a 明言する／公表する 年金 増加する they are 適格の for to 接触する the department.

The DWP says that '利益／興味 and consolatory 支払い（額）s' will be considered on a 事例／患者-by-事例／患者 basis and depend on individual circumstances.

Are you 存在 underpaid 明言する／公表する 年金? And what if you only qualify for one year's arrears??

1. If you think you have been underpaid 明言する／公表する 年金, Steve Webb's 会社／堅い LCP has 開始する，打ち上げるd an online 道具 to help older married women work out if they are 存在 paid 正確に. Find out more here.?

2. Anyone with any 疑問 about the 量 of 年金 they are receiving should 接触する the Department for Work and 年金s. Its 接触する 詳細（に述べる）s are here.?

3. If you only qualify for a one-year backpayment from the DWP and want to join Audrey Watson and Kathleen Brennan's fight for 十分な arrears, the first step is to make a formal （民事の）告訴 to the DWP asking it to review its 決定／判定勝ち（する）.

4. The DWP has turned 負かす／撃墜する all such requests for 十分な payouts as far as we are aware. If you receive that 返答 you can ask it for a '義務的な reconsideration', and/or take your 事例／患者 straight to the 議会の Ombudsman.

5. If you decide to go to the 議会の Ombudsman, the 詳細（に述べる）s of how to do this are here and the form is here.

You will need to send the form to your MP to get their 署名. They may then 今後 it on to the Ombudsman for you, but you can ask to have it 支援する and send it yourself to 確実にする this is done.

If your MP 今後s your form, you can ask them for the 言及／関連 number on their acknowledgment from the Ombudsman, to keep for your 記録，記録的な／記録するs.

It’s 価値（がある） asking your MP to 圧力（をかける） your 事例／患者 with the DWP 同様に.

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