My Mum's pension

[FTVS]

My Mother and Father were divorced some 30 years ago. Seemingly my mother, in connection with claiming her pension from the State, has been asked to provide my Fathers name and address...? Mumsy is batty to put in mildly so I don't know if she's imagining this, made a mistake on the form or for some reason the DSS really so need to contact Daddy-dearest? Any ideas?

[woofgang]

It sounds from your question as though you are not in a position to check the form yourself.I don't work for the pensions department, but some options occur to me. it might be that the form is generic for lots of circumstances, for instance its conceivable that if someone was divorced last year, they might know their ex-partner's address, in which case she could put in "not known". It might be that the form is asking for his last known address. If your mum is claiming on the basis of his contributions, then they would need to check on these and therefore to confirm his existence. Best suggestion is to get hold of the form or a copy if you can and either contact the DSS or your local citizen's advice bureau. BTW speaking as one who knows, if your Mum is having difficulties managing her affairs, have you considered talking to her about a power of attourney? This would enable you or another trusted person to manage her affairs (pay bills, draw pension, manage bank accounts etc) if it ever became necessary. While a person is only a little forgetful and can largely make their own decisions, theuy are comparatively easy to set up, but if things get more difficult fior your Mum, legal protection precautions make it much harder to arrange. Again, the Citizens Advice Bureau can tell you more. It does save things like the complication of unpaid power or phone bills turning into disconnection and of course the potential for these things to happen is always there when there is a family crisis. Hope this helps

[ipek]

It could be that your Mum (like mine) only paid the 'married woman's' stamp when she was working. In which case her pension is based on her husband's contribution. Although, if she was divorced all those years ago, she should have been paying the full stamp since then. If she hasn't been working, then she may not be eligible for a pension in her own right either and so has to have a reduced one based on husband's contribution.

I suspect though, it's just a generic form she has to complete and there is therefore an assumption that she has a hubby in tow. See if you can get the number of the form she has been asked to complete and have a look at a copy in your local DSS office if you can't get to go through it with your Mum personally.

My parents have found Citizens Advice invaluable and also Help the Aged, for advice on all manner of things since their retirement. I would also echo woofgang's comments on Power of Attorney - as part of their recent visit to amend their wills, they incorporated nominating myself as POA, should it be necessary. Although they are perfectly OK at the moment, it does mean that I can step in and help if needed with a lesser amount of paperwork (you still need to prove the need to invoke POA, but it is simpler).

Good luck - I know it's not easy dealing with older folk who don't really understand all the bureaucracy involved ..........!!