Hello Doreen, my friends home is quite remote, she has tried to sell the house and buy or rent a small apartment in the town close to where she lives. Nothing is moving in her area, as for the rental market, it seems that people renting prefer to live close to town in her area.
The benefits people are looking into her situation, but it is just taking time. I am glad that she has good friends close by, they are giving her support.
I have also had my pension age changed. I am 61 now and won't receive my pension until I am 65. I'm not quite sure what you mean by missing out twice in the last 18 months. I knew quite a few years ago that my pension age had changed (at least 5 years ago if not more) and there has been no further change in my pension age since then. As Irene said the same thing would happen if I lived in the UK. I understand thst you are worried for your friend but she would be in the same position if she lived in the UK-so I'm not quite sure what you expect to happen just because she lives abroad.
Hello Irene,
thank you for getting back to me, I knew about the widows pension changes, I was referring to the fact that my friend has had the date of her pension entitlement changed twice, because of new rules, which means that she has missed out on her pension by just 8 days on each occasion.
Her MP from her last address in the UK, he is looking into how they can help her, he is waiting for a reply from the department of pensions. Both our husbands paid in quite a lot of money, as have many expats. Under the widows pension benefit she would have received a payment. I have a French friend who was married to an English man, and she received a widows pension before the changes. She still receives that pension to date.
Maureen
It is a dreadful scandal that widows' pensions have been abolished with only a couple of years' notice: there has been no time for us to make other arrangements and I suspect that it could be a potential human rights case waiting to happen (under the right to enjoyment of private property). We all know that the state pension has no fund but is financed from taxation, but it is still quite wrong to play around with it abruptly in this way. My MP, a Conservative, replaced a Liberal at the 2015 election, and I have been in correspondence with him for about a year now about this. He was keen to help when he was a candidate, but has now become pretty hard-line and made it clear that he supports the Government's policy: maybe he scents the possibility of a Ministerial job if he keeps his nose clean!
Mt wife will be all right when I die as I have a good occupational pension, but I would not hold out much hope for your friend. Does she qualify for Italian social welfare assistance? If not, it's hard, but it looks to me as if her best course is to try to sell or let the house and go back to the UK.
The term "pension pot" really applie only to company or private pensions. It's worth talking to the late husband's company pension provider. I know my mother got half my father's company pension after he died, or the rest of her life. Both my husband's company pensions do the same (he nominated me to benefit from them before he retired). One of my company pension schemes does the same for him, but the other annuity was so small that I opted to receive more money by not passing it on to him after I die: he won't miss such a small quarterly sum. Because schemes differ, and various options apply to each, it is worth contacting the Pensions team at the late husband's employers to find out what applies in this case. In fact, I'd advise everybody reading this to check their own schemes and make notes: it is a lot easier to do so while you are both alive and able to think things through than to wait until only one of you is left alone and bewildered.
Hi Maureen
The following is from the European Commission document 'Your Social Security Rights in Italy':
Chapter XI: Minimum resources When are you entitled to benefits regarding minimum resources?
Municipal support is available to individuals and/or families who are deemed to be in need of socio-economic support. However, as the granting of these benefits falls under the competence of the local authorities, the law does not provide for general entitlement conditions or requirements. The support may be provided either in cash or in kind (such as interventions by social workers). There are no nationality conditions enforced at a national level; in general, residence in the region or municipality which is granting the benefit is required. As a rule, subsidies are granted upon submission of the household ISEE (which is an indicator providing information on the household’s economic situation).
What is covered? Regulations vary according to the regions and the municipalities. Every region and municipality, acting in accordance with regional legislation and depending on the available budgetary resources, implements its own policies of social intervention on its territory.
If your friends income is so small, this may be a way she can find help.
Hope this is useful
Rob