Widows left in pension limbo after husbands' deaths

Key developments are emerging from the global stage. Widows left in pension limbo after husbands' deaths4 hours ago Share Save Add as preferred on GoogleMartin GrahamBBC ScotlandMcGinness familyFiona McGinness says she has been caught in a bureaucratic nightmare since Paul's death Paul McGinness died from cancer at just 43 but with a civil servant's pension, he at least knew his family would have some security. However, since his death in January, his wife Fiona has been caught up in a bureaucratic nightmare. Like thousands of other civil servants, Paul's pension has been delayed as a result of outsourcing firm Capita taking over administration of the entire pension scheme.

Thousands of people have been unable to access their lump-sum payments or ongoing pension income due to problems with Capita's systems. Fiona told Scotland News: "I sent the paperwork, then they only sent me half the right forms. I had to send the death certificate, our marriage certificate, and even the kids' birth certificates.

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"Capita told me it would usually take 12 weeks to sort out but it'll be longer due to their current problems. Even 12 weeks is far too long. "Retired civil servants left in pension limbo Terminally ill bride's final months marred by pension stress'Civil service pension limbo delayed my retirement'Fiona lives in Cambuslang with the couple's children, 15-year-old son Rory and daughter Alba, 11.

Paul died from a fast and aggressive sarcoma cancer. He had worked for Social Security Scotland for four years, since the agency began operation. He wanted to dedicate his working life to public service but also wanted the security of a good pension for his family.

Fiona said Paul also had small pensions from the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and the NHS from his time working for them but she applied to Capita first as he died while he was still working for them. She said the other pension funds had already paid out. More stories from Edinburgh, Fife & EastMore stories from Glasgow and WestShe added that she couldn't move on from Paul's death until she had sorted out the Capita pension.

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"We're now a one-parent family with a single income," Fiona said. "This is the last of my 'sadmin' tasks, and I can't really move on properly until its resolved. Then we can start planning the rest of our lives properly.

"Capita took over the Civil Service Pension Scheme - which has about 1. 7 million members - in December last year, after winning the contract in 2023. As well as the ongoing system issues, a new online portal is still not working properly, and clients have spent hours on the phone waiting to speak to staff.

Moultrie familyPamela and Jim Moultrie had been living off Jim's pension before he diedJames Moultrie died just before Christmas at the age of 79. Before he retired he had worked for the MoD and the couple had been living off his pension. His wife Pamela, who lives in Dunfermline, Fife, knew that would change after he died.

The development has drawn wide international attention, with diplomatic circles watching closely.