• Home
• About the PPF
• Protecting People's Pensions
• Who is Eligible
• Assessment Period
• Transferred Schemes
• Pension Protection Levy
• PPF 7800 Index
• Trustee Guidance
  • > Overview of the Assessment Period Process
  • > Receipt of the Section 120 Notice
  • > Pension Scheme Status
  • > Financial Management
    • > Outstanding ill-health review awards
  • > Management Plans
  • > Fraud Compensation
  • > Data Audit
  • > Actuarial Valuation
  • > Responsibility for the Pension Scheme assumed
• Other Guidance
• Forms
• FAQs
• Register Interest
• Press Office
• Careers
• Contact Us
• Scheme Members
• What's New?

Trustee Guidance: Outstanding ill-health review awards

If an application for an ill-health award is made before the assessment date, the award must be completed, ie a decision must be made, within the six months after the assessment date.

If a decision is not reached within six months:

• if the decision is in the pension scheme member’s favour he will not be eligible for payment:
• during the assessment period;
• after the assessment period if the Pension Protection Fund assumes responsibility for the pension scheme; and
• the Pensions Regulator can apply a Section 10 penalty under the Pensions Act 1995 (c.26)(civil penalties) if the trustees did not take all reasonable steps to make a decision on the application.

Sections 140 and 141 of the Pensions Act 2004 enable the trustees to review any ill-health award granted in the three years prior to the assessment date. More information on this is available in the Data Audit section.