East Sussex County Council
Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS)
5. Local Government Pension Scheme news
With the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) outbreak creating a fast moving and uncertain situation affecting us all, personally and professionally, we wanted to set out our arrangements for delivering our services to you. At the moment Orbis Pensions remains operational and our aim is to ensure we can maintain vital services during this time of uncertainty. We hope you will understand that this means we will need to prioritise our efforts accordingly.
Our main focus areas will be as follows:
• Deaths – payment of Death Grants and Dependants Benefits
• Retirements – processing benefits (pension and lump sum) for actual retirements
• Refunds – payment of refund of contributions
If you are contacting us regarding one of the above processes then we will aim to respond to you within 3–5 working days. Please bear with us during these challenging times as we may not be able to respond as quickly as we would like.
Please Help Yourself
Please remember if you are a member of the LGPS you can view and manage your pensions information using the Member Self Service portal or go to the Local Government Pension Scheme website for details about how your pension is calculated, 50/50 scheme, when you can take your pension and much more. You can also refer to the East Sussex Pension Fund website where you can find a host of useful forms and general information.
Opening Hours
We are currently offering a reduced telephony service. Please only call if your query is urgent (Monday-Friday 10am-12pm or 2pm-4pm). Our telephone number is 0300 200 1031.
Pension Scams
It’s important that you get guidance or advice before making a decision about your pension. The Pensions Advisory Service (TPAS) offers free guidance and will help answer any questions you may have.
If you’re considering transferring your pension, you should also take regulated financial advice from someone who is authorised to advise on pension transfers by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). You can check registration details on the FCA website.
You can visit the FCA’s ScamSmart website to see whether what you’re being offered is a known scam, or has the signs of a scam.