I’m retired
We’ll offer you a choice between your legacy scheme (final salary) benefits and your reformed (CARE) scheme benefits for your service between 1 April 2015 and 31 March 2022. This is called the Remedy period.
This choice will be offered to all members, including those who had 'protected status' when the pension reforms were introduced and remained in the legacy scheme.
To help you decide, we’ll send you a choice letter, known as a Remediable Service Statement (RSS). This will show your pension benefits side-by-side for the Remedy period, to help you decide which option is the right one for you.
Preparing for your remedy choice – member update May 2025
Preparing for your remedy choice – update four (2 May 2025)
Delivery Update
In March, more than 2,700 remediable service statements (RSS) were issued, representing around 50% of the total due to be issued. A further 700 RSS were issued in April which leaves around 1,900 remaining to be issued.
We anticipate completing the delivery by 31 May 2025. However, some RSS contain significant complexities, and these will be processed on a case-by-case basis. For these RSS we expect to complete delivery by 31 July 2025.
Support Resources
When you do receive your RSS, we have support resources on this page to help you. Please visit the support and guidance section.
We would like to take this opportunity to apologise for not being able to provide you with a RSS by 31 March and understand why this may be causing you distress. Staff here at the SPPA are working incredibly hard to get your RSS issued.
Previous updates
When we’ll contact you
Your remedy choice
We’ll write to you to make your choice by sending you a choice letter called a Remediable Service Statement (RSS).
The complexities involved in delivering the 2015 Remedy mean that we will not be able to provide all eligible members with an RSS before 31 March 2025. However we expect to have issued the majority of these by the end of March using our new automated process.
We anticipate completing the delivery by 31 May 2025. However, some RSS contain significant complexities which make them unsuitable for automation and these will be processed manually on a case by case basis. For these RSS we expect to complete delivery by 31 July 2025.
You can stay up to date by signing up for our remedy choice update which will also be available on this page. We are unable to provide information about progress with individual RSS.
I have received my choice letter – support and guidance
If you have received your choice letter, known as a Remediable Service Statement (RSS), these resources will help you to understand your RSS and what you have to do.
The RSS contains important information to help you make your choice. We’ve tried to make it as easy as possible to understand by laying it out in sections. The introductory letter explains why you are getting a choice and when this needs to be sent to the SPPA.
As soon as your decision has been processed by the SPPA, we will send you a confirmation letter. Your new pension (if appropriate) will be paid on the next available payment date. Depending on when your pension is processed, this may not be the next payment you are due to receive. As we are processing large volumes, there may be unavoidable delays but we will try to keep this to a minimum.
The SPPA cannot provide financial advice. If you need help with your decisions, consider talking to a professional financial adviser. You can find advisers near you by visiting Citizens Advice Scotland at www.cas.org.uk
Contributions and Remedy
From 1 October 2023, eligible members who contributed to the 2015 Care Scheme between the 1 April 2015 – 31 March 2022 (the remedy period) are being moved back to their Legacy Scheme for this pensionable period. This action is taking place to enable members to make a choice for the remedy period.
During the remedy period, you will have paid contributions at the 2015 Care Scheme rates. By moving you back to your legacy scheme for this period, you will either owe or be owed the difference in contributions due. Corrections due to your contributions will be made when you make your Remedy choice.
I’ve received an Ill Health Retirement Review letter
I’ve received an Ill Health Retirement Review letter
We’re reviewing ill health pensions for members who are eligible for 2015 Remedy. This is to understand whether you would have been eligible for ill-health benefits under your alternative pension scheme.
We’ll use the evidence that was provided at the time of your original application so you won’t need to send us any new information or be examined by a medical professional.
Once the review is completed, we’ll contact you with the outcome and tell you what to do next. We won’t make any changes to your pension as a result of the review.
If you want us to review your pension
So that the review can be carried out, you need to give us your consent. If you don’t consent to a review your Remediable Service Statement might not include ill-health benefits for your alternative pension scheme. You can tell us by returning the decision form included with the letter.