The most common single source of complaints against pension schemes was decisions not to award ill-health pensions, the Pensions Ombudsman says in its Annual Report and Accounts for 2007/8 .
It says ill-health benefits will often be contentious not only because they sometimes start at a relatively early age and therefore will be very valuable and expensive, but there will sometimes be conflicting medical evidence involving very difficult and sensitive issues, such as whether a condition is likely to be permanent. According to the report, the number of complains in this area is unsurprising as “the scheme member’s income for the rest of their life is at issue at a time of stress, and there are difficult matters of judgment and assessment of medical evidence involved, rather th...
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