EPN726 – Immediate Choice Remediable Service Statements (RSS) being issued to Partially Retired members impacted by 2015 Remedy (McCloud)
EPN726 – Immediate Choice Remediable Service Statements (RSS) being issued to Partially Retired members impacted by 2015 Remedy (McCloud)
Audience
Pension leads
HR managers
Summary
This EPN is to advise that, as part of the 2015 Remedy (McCloud), we are required to provide impacted members with a choice of pension benefits for their remediable service (service during the Remedy Period: 1 April 2015 - 31 March 2022). This applies to members who retired before October 1, 2023, and had taken remediable service benefits at that time.
The members impacted are partially or formally retired members still in employment and fully retired members (details below).
Impacted members will therefore be receiving an Immediate Choice Remediable Service Statement (RSS) pack and will be given an alternative benefit option and additional supporting information to help make their decision. (Note: Members who tapered into alpha during the Remedy period will be given two options to choose from.)
The RSS packs will start to be issued to members from the end of January 2025.
Further details and Immediate Choice RSS FAQs can be found here.
Actions
To note the distribution timescale of Immediate Choice RSS and the members that will be receiving the RSS.
Timing
We have agreed with Cabinet Office to issue the first cohort of RSS between 31 January and 31 March 2025. We anticipate the RSS will continue to be issued over a 2-year period.
The regulatory timeline for delivery of all Immediate Choice RSS is by 31 March 2025. However, a variety of factors make some pension calculations more complex. As a result, we will not be able to issue an RSS to all Remedy affected members by 31st March 2025*, this has been reported to the Pensions Regulator.
We are committed to processing these as efficiently as possible.
[*Please note, in cases where members have more complex records, the scheme does have discretion to extend beyond this delivery date.]
Detail
As part of the 2015 Remedy (McCloud), we want to ensure in-scope Immediate Choice members impacted by 2015 Remedy, have a choice on the pension benefits received for service within the Remedy period (1 April 2015 – 31 March 2022).
Impacted members will be receiving an Immediate Choice RSS pack with additional supporting information to help them make their decision. They will have a choice between:
Option 1: Legacy benefits in the Remedy period and alpha from 1 April 2022 (only applicable for members with service after 1 April 2022).
Option 2: Reform or alpha-like benefits in the Remedy period and alpha from 01/04/2022 (if applicable).
For members who receive their Immediate Choice RSS by August 2025 and return their option form, implementation of choices and updates to pensions will take place from July through to November 2025.
The members receiving an RSS will be;
Partially retired members (who claimed Legacy benefits during the Remedy period) or formally retired members still in employment.
Fully Retired members, as follows:
Good Health Retirements (Age/Actuarially Reduced Retirements)
Ill-Health Retirements
Retirements from Leaver (Deferment)
Redundancy or voluntary exit
Further details and Immediate Choice RSS FAQs can be found here.
