Pension Query

[supapapa]

My sister is divorced from her husband ( a retired army officer) she has since remarried, if her ex husband dies, will she be entitled to any of his army pension? She walked away from the marriage with nothing.

[buildersmate]

This needed to have been sorted as part of the dissolution of the marriage, so I doubt that it is possible to go back on it now.
You can check this by contacting the Service Personnel and Veterans Agency. They are based in Glasgow.

[bhg481]

If the Army pension works like the Civil Service pension, then NO.

If a widow receiving a pension starts to co-habit with another man, let alone remarries, the pension is forfeited.

[buildersmate]

You've missed the point of the question, bhg.
The lady never has been receiving the army (widows) pension.
Not that it changes anything in terms of the correct answer.

[bhg481]

No, I hadn't missed the point, Buildersmate. I was aware of the fact that she has never been in receipt of a widow's pension. I was pointing out that, under Civil Service rules, whether divorced or not, she would not be entitled to it anyway if she were only co-habiting with someone. As an ex Civil Servant, if I die before my wife she will start to get half my pension. If she then co-habits or marries again she will forfeit it.

[hc4361]

No, she won't.

But I would like to point out to bhg and buildersmate that rules have changed and military widows who remarry will keep their pensions

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-29956894

[factor-fiction]

Yes, from 2015, the rules will change, but I don't think that change would apply as the couple have already divorced and the pension issues should have been taken into account at that point

[hc4361]

I agree with that. Divorced people with no financial settlement specific to the pension will not be entitled to a survivor's pension

[bhg481]

I'd forgotten about that hc4361 (thanks) but, as FF says, it wouldn't be applicable in this case because of the divorce having taken place. I wasn't certain either that Civil Service rules apply to the Army, clearly they don't.

[buildersmate]

QED

[supapapa]

Thanks for all your answers