Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when members of the Immediate Choice veterans cohort will receive their McCloud remedy pension payments.

When an Immediate Choice member opts for alternative benefits under the 2015 Pension Remedy (McCloud), arrears and interest are included in the calculations. However, due to the intricacy of these calculations and the high number of elections, the completion of these payments is taking longer than anticipated.

We are processing all elections in the order they were received. If an election was made before 1 September 2024, it may take up to six months to adjust the pension entitlement. For elections received after 1 September 2024, the estimated revision time is up to four months. Members are informed about this delay upon returning their election form.

Members who have chosen alternative benefits will continue to receive their current benefits until their election is processed. These alternative benefits will be retroactively applied from the date of original entitlement, with interest applied from that date until the payment date, ensuring members do not experience any financial disadvantage.