My father served in the Brigade of Gurkhas from 1979 to 1997. He's now 68 and living in the UK. We're trying to understand what pension entitlements he has and whether he's been receiving the correct amounts.
He receives the Gurkha Pension Scheme payment but we're not sure if this is correct for his years of service. Any advice from people in a similar situation?
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This is an important and complex area. Here's what I know from helping my own uncle through this:
The Gurkha Pension Scheme (GPS) was the main pension for those who served before 1997. The amount depends on years of service and rank. Since the 2007 Act, pre-1997 veterans who settled in the UK can also access certain UK state benefits, but the GPS was not automatically equalised with British Army pensions at the time.
What to do: 1. Contact the Veterans UK helpline (part of MOD) — they can provide a pension breakdown 2. Contact the Gurkha Welfare Trust (gwt.org.uk) — they have specialist caseworkers who help with exactly this situation, for free 3. Get independent legal advice from a solicitor specialising in Gurkha cases — several are listed on NBD
The key question is whether your father is entitled to any enhancement or back-payment under subsequent legal rulings. A solicitor who specialises in this will know immediately.
Agreeing with everything above. The Gurkha Welfare Trust is absolutely the first port of call — they have people specifically trained for this.
Also worth checking: is your father receiving UK State Pension? If he has lived and worked in the UK for sufficient years, he may be entitled to this on top of the GPS. Many veterans don't realise they qualify.
The SSAFA (Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association) also has Nepali-speaking welfare workers who can help with this kind of situation.
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