Age discrimination remedy (Firefighters)
This page includes the latest information and links relating to the age discrimination remedy for members of the Firefighters' Pension Scheme.
Contents
In July 2020, a public consultation was held, which resulted in two key government decisions, which were published on 4 February 2021:
- From 1 April 2022, the 1992 and 2006 Firefighters’ Pension schemes were closed and all members (regardless of their protection status) were to be moved into the Career Average Revalued Earnings (CARE) scheme.
- A Deferred Choice Underpin (DCU) will be applied at the point of retirement. This means that affected members will be able to choose to receive legacy (final salary) pension scheme benefits or CARE scheme benefits for the period 1 April 2015 – 31 March 2022 – but not a mixture of the two.
This period, 1 April 2015 – 31 March 2022, is referred to as the ‘Remedy Period’.
Other useful information relating to Remedy (McCloud)
For more information about your ABS-RSS, visit our dedicated ABS page
For more information about your RPSS (annual allowance) visit our dedicated page
On 4 February 2021 the Government response to the unfunded Public Service Pension Scheme consultation resulted in four key changes for Firefighters’ Pension schemes:
- To remove any future discrimination, all Firefighters’ scheme members (regardless of their protection status), were moved to the 2015 scheme from 1 April 2022.
- From 1 October 2023, active Firefighters’ Pension Scheme members will have their ‘Remedy period’ membership (1 April 2015 – 31 March 2022) moved back to their legacy scheme. Please note, this is a complex process that will involve many retrospective actions for each member.
- All Firefighters’ scheme members will, if applicable, be able to choose which benefits they take when they retire (legacy or 2015 scheme). This is based on what’s known as the Deferred Choice Underpin (DCU).
- Members with 1992 scheme benefits, will be able to retire and receive their 1992 portion of benefits as per the original terms (for example, they will be able to retire at the age of 50 if they have at least 25 years’ services).
Rest assured, LPPA is in constant discussions with the Local Government Association (LGA) to help you understand the impact of this ruling and we will keep this page updated with the very latest information.
- 1 April 2022: any remaining members of Firefighters’ legacy pension schemes were moved to the 2015 Firefighters’ Pension Scheme.
- By 31 August 2023: all active and deferred scheme members will be given access to their annual benefit statement (via PensionPoint) – this will not reflect Remedy.
- From 1 October 2023: all active and deferred members (who were previously part of the Firefighters’ legacy pension scheme) will be switched back to the legacy scheme for the Remedy period.
- By 31 August 2024: where we are in receipt of the required data, active and deferred members will have access to an Annual Benefit Statement Remediable Service Statement (ABS-RSS) via PensionPoint – this will include illustrations to allow you to compare the benefits available to you in relation to your membership between 1 April 2015 and 31 March 2022 (known as the remedy period). For more information about your ABS-RSS click here
- By 31 March 2025: all affected members must have received a Remediable Service Statement (RSS), showing the benefits in both the legacy scheme and the reformed scheme during the Remedy period.
- On retirement date (after October 2023): where applicable, members will receive a choice of legacy or reformed scheme benefits for the Remedy period as part of their retirement information.
By 31 March 2025: Remediable Service Statement (RSS) issued.
In August 2023, we wrote to all pensioners affected by remedy, explaining the process for providing a Remediable Service Statement (RSS).
Your RSS contains important information that will help you decide whether to choose FPS 2015 benefits or legacy scheme benefits for the remedy period.
We initially estimated that RSS completion would be between November 2024 and March 2025, based on your category. But due to the complexity of the process (and delays in receiving necessary tools and guidance from government departments), we now aim to send out all RSSs by 31 March 2025.
If you were expecting your RSS sooner, we apologise for the delay and would like to assure you that we are working hard to meet the statutory deadline.
When providing additional pension membership/financial information for members affected by Remedy, it’s important that administrators use the Remedy data collection template issued by the Local Government Association.
More information
For the most up-to-date information, including FAQs and videos, please visit the Remedy page of the Firefighters’ Pension Scheme LGA website:
Please note
LPPA is currently only able to provide retirement estimates for members who are looking to retire within the next 6 months, with remedy benefits. Members who are not eligible for remedy can continue to request retirement estimates. Both of these should be requested using the usual channels.
To help us prioritise retirement requests effectively, we are also asking members to provide a minimum of three months’ notice of their intention to retire.
