It will not reduce or suspend the added years pension paid to an employee who had been an early retirer during a period of re-employment.

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1 LOCAL GOVERNMENT PENSION SCHEME Hampshire Pension Fund Statement of Decisions and Policy The pension information entitled Your Pension An Employee s Guide, which an employee receives upon joining the University, explains that your employer has several discretionary provisions and these are set out below : Pensionable Service (regulation 30 (5)) The University will allow a woman s pensionable service between 1 April 1972 and 5 April 1988 to count towards the calculation of her widower s pensions. It will not reduce or suspend the added years pension paid to an employee who had been an early retirer during a period of re-employment. Power to increase total membership (regulation 12) Augmentation of service of a new Scheme member or of a retiring Scheme member will not generally be exercised, unless specifically authorised in advance by the Directorate in order to assist recruitment and retention of staff with key skills or to facilitate the operation of the Staff Reduction Policy and Procedures respectively. The University will treat each case to award augmentation on its own merits, taking all costs into account. The member s total additional membership under this regulation (including additional membership in respect of different employments) must not exceed 10 years.

2 Power to award additional pension (regulation 13) The power to award an additional amount of pension to an active member, up to of pension per annum, will not generally be exercised, unless specifically authorised in advance by the Directorate in order to assist recruitment and retention of staff with key skills or to facilitate the operation of the Staff Reduction Policy and Procedures respectively. The University will treat each case to award additional pension on its own merits, taking all costs into account. Increase Active Membership The University will consider increasing total membership of an active member only where specifically authorised in advance by the Directorate in order to assist recruitment and retention of staff with key skills. The University will treat each case to award an increase in active membership on its own merits, taking all costs into account. Increase Membership where Retired through Efficiency The University can consider, where an employee is retiring in the interests of the efficiency of the service consider buying the employee additional service in the LGPS using an amount no greater than the payment the employee would have received had the employee been made redundant. This option is only open to the employee if the employee requested it before the employee s employment ceases. Aggregation of previous periods of membership (regulation 32 (8 A.)) The University will not consider either extending or accepting employee elections to combine pension rights from previous local government employment with a current period of membership, which are made after 12 months of the employee re-joining the scheme, except for those employees who hold certificates of protection.

3 Election for early payment of benefits (regulations 30) The University will only consider the immediate payment of benefits to a member of staff who resigned between age 55 and 60 (or age 50 for employees who have been in the LGPS since 31 March 2008, leaving before 31 March 2010), where the Directorate believed that there are clear benefits, financial or otherwise, accruing to the University that outweigh the cost. Waiving of early payment reductions on compassionate grounds (regulation 30 (5)) The University will consider the immediate payment of benefits without reduction to a member of staff between age 55 and 60 (or age 50 for employees who have been in the LGPS since 31 March 2008, leaving before 31 March 2010) on compassionate grounds, provided that the Directorate is satisfied that the person had to give up work to care for an aged or sick relative or partner. The University will consider payment of preserved benefits without reduction to a former employee between age 55 and 60 (or age 50 for employees who have been in the LGPS since 31 March 2008, leaving before 31 March 2010) on compassionate grounds. This will be subject to the approval of the Directorate and will be agreed only in exceptional circumstances, and provided that the Directorate is satisfied that the person had to give up work to care for an aged or sick relative or partner. Flexible retirement (regulation 18) The University will consent to pension benefits being paid under the flexible retirement policy to an employee over the age of 55 (or age 50 for employees who have been in the LGPS since 31 March 2008, leaving before 31 March 2010), who requests this, provided their renumeration is reducing by at least 40% either by a reduction in contractual hours or grade. In addition, agreement must also be obtained from the employee s Head of Department and Director of Human Resources. (Attached here is a link to the Request for Flexible Retirement form).

4 Waving early retirement reduction for flexible retirement (regulation 18 (3)) The University will consider, in exceptional circumstances, waiving some or all of any reduction in benefit where a member has obtained, through the employer s consent, Flexible Retirement, only where the Directorate believes that there are clear benefits, financial or otherwise, accruing to the University that outweigh the cost. This will be subject to the approval of the Directorate and will be agreed only in exceptional circumstances, and provided that the Directorate is satisfied that the person had to give up work to care for an aged or sick relative or partner. Transfer of pension rights (regulation 121) The University will not consider either extending or accepting an employee s election for transfer of pension rights from an external provider into the LGPS if this election is made after 12 months of the employee joining the LGPS. The University has a transitional provision that the 12 month limitation on transferring employee s previous pension rights into the LGPS may be extended, subject to there being no cost to the University upon the retirement of the employee. This transitional provision applies only to those active employees who have made a written request/application for a transfer illustration to LGPS before Employees can apply for the LGPS Transfer Application Form from either Human Resources or Hampshire County Council.

5 Contributions Over 40 years service Following resumption of payment of contributions which previously had been waived where the employee had accrued 40 years in the LGPS by age 60, the University will not look to immediately reclaim any contributions which could have been collected under the waived period. However, the University reserves the right to request waived contributions if it is in the interest of the pension fund and/ or University. Unpaid leave The University will not consider extending the general limitation on paying retrospective contributions following a period of unpaid leave. A member of staff must make an election within 30 days of their return to work, or within 30 days of leaving the employment of the University if they do not return to work, if they wish to make up contributions in respect of the period of unpaid leave. Cost Sharing AVCs It is University policy not to contribute to sharing the cost of employee s additional voluntary contributions. Redundancy Payments The University will calculate redundancy payments for staff to whom the Discretionary Compensation Payment Regulations apply by reference to the actual weekly pay of the employee concerned, not merely by reference to the statutory sum set by Parliament. That part of your redundancy payment that relates to earnings in excess of the statutory maximum can be used to buy additional service in the LGPS. This option is only open to an employee if the employee requested this before the employee s employment ceases. Enhanced Early Termination Payments The University will not in general award enhanced termination payments to an employee to whom the Discretionary Compensation Payment Regulations apply who is made redundant. The University will consider whether to exercise its discretion in exceptional circumstances. The University will treat each case to award lump sum compensation on its own merits, taking all costs into account.

6 Discretionary Compensation Compensatory Added Years (Transitional protection provision available before whereby either the 2000 regulations or 2006 regulations may be applied to an employee whose employment commenced before and whose termination date is on or after and before ) The University will not in general award compensatory added years to an employee to whom the Discretionary Compensation Payment Regulations apply who is made redundant. The University will consider whether to exercise its discretion in exceptional circumstances. The University will treat each case to award compensatory added years on its own merits, taking all costs into account.