DWP Halts Pension Payments for 84-Year-Old Woman Stranded in Cyprus
Marie Collins, an 84-year-old retiree from the Midlands, has been left without her state pension for over four months after falling ill during a holiday in Cyprus. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has stopped her payments, citing her extended stay in the Mediterranean country due to health issues.
Marie, who is currently stuck in Cyprus under a doctor's "no fly" order, has not received any pension money since before Christmas. She expressed her desperation, stating, "I have not had a penny for nearly four and a half months. I’ve got no savings. What am I supposed to live on?"
Frustrating Attempts to Contact DWP
Marie spent weeks trying to reach the DWP by phone, often enduring long hold times only to be disconnected. She described the process as circular and unhelpful, with each call handler seemingly unaware of her previous interactions. "Every time I got through to someone different, it felt like they hadn’t read any of the notes. They just kept sending me round in circles," she said.
Her health condition has compounded the issue, making communication difficult. "I could not make calls, I could not receive calls, I could not send texts. I was completely stuck," Marie explained. She even struggled with basic tasks like writing, requiring assistance to fill out forms and sign documents.
Emotional and Financial Toll
The situation has taken a severe emotional and financial toll on Marie. She revealed, "I am hardly eating. I am in a deep depression." Despite being in Cyprus, her primary concern is the DWP's failure to provide her pension. "I am not worried about Cyprus. I am worried about when they (DWP) are going to start paying me. I am a UK national. I feel totally abandoned," she added.
This case highlights the challenges faced by retirees living abroad part-time. According to DWP rules, individuals must choose one country for pension payments and cannot split them between multiple locations. Those who have lived or worked overseas may be eligible for an overseas state pension before reaching the UK State Pension age.
For assistance, retirees are advised to contact the pension authority in their country of residence, which can notify relevant state pension schemes. Eligible individuals will then be contacted by those schemes.
