Widow Distressed by Pension Delay Nine Months After Husband's Death
Kay Donald's husband Barry passed away suddenly nearly nine months ago, yet she reports ongoing difficulties with accessing his pension, which she says is hindering her ability to move forward.
Her family is among thousands affected by delays following the outsourcing of the civil service pension scheme administration to Capita.
Kay, who has not received any pension payments since Barry's death, describes feeling distressed and believes that those at the company "don't seem to care."
Capita has issued an apology for the "worry and frustration" caused by the delays and stated it is working to restore normal service levels.
Barry Donald died in October last year, just a week before the couple's 34th wedding anniversary.
Kay, aged 62, was at their Glasgow home watching television while Barry was doing some DIY in the hallway.
When she went to bed, she found Barry lying deceased behind the front door. She attempted resuscitation but was unsuccessful.
Barry, 63, had been employed at Social Security Scotland—the government agency managing devolved benefits—for the previous five years.
Prior to that, he worked for 26 years at Asda.
Kay noted that Barry's employers were supportive after his death, sending flowers, condolences, and the necessary forms to begin the pension claim process.
She submitted the forms and all requested documentation in October but has yet to receive any payments.
"I have phoned umpteen times, I've emailed, I have written letters of complaint," Kay said. "I've been constant with them, I've got my MSP onto them, I've got my solicitor onto them. It's just very frustrating."
Capita assumed responsibility for the Civil Service Pension Scheme, which has approximately 1.7 million members, in December last year after securing the contract in 2023.
BBC Scotland has previously reported that thousands have been unable to access lump-sum payments or ongoing pension income due to issues with Capita's systems.
Kay stated that Capita requested documents from her that were not necessary.
She expressed that the ongoing difficulties are preventing her from moving on.
"I have terrible days, but I have a lot of good days as well. But my terrible days tend to be with the pressure of having to chase this up again," Kay said. "Or they've said they'll escalate it to a manager, again, and it never happens and I never hear back from them other than to say: 'Send me this, get me this'."
Kay felt as though she was being treated as if making a fraudulent claim.
"I'm really not," she said. "It's death in service. And they just don't seem to care really. It's like they've got no conscience at all.
"Nothing seems to be working. It's distressing.
"It might just be they're just overwhelmed, I don't know. But they're not as overwhelmed as we are as a family. We can't get moving on while this is still ongoing."
Similar Issues Experienced by Other Families
Kay is not alone in facing problems with the pension process following a loved one's death.
Elaine Muirhead, from Bishopbriggs, was a grandmother who cherished time with her family and grandchildren.
She enjoyed her role with the government's employability service Fair Start Scotland, assisting people in finding suitable employment and developing their careers.
Elaine died suddenly in early December last year at age 55.
Her family reported that their grief was compounded by difficulties settling Elaine's estate, particularly her civil service pension.
Her daughter, Rachel Shankland, 28, contacted Capita multiple times.
Rachel submitted the requested information in late December but was later told by Capita that a letter of representation from a solicitor was also required.
Rachel's lawyer questioned the necessity of this letter. Upon further inquiry, a different Capita agent stated it was not required and expressed uncertainty about why it had been requested.
"This could have cost us solicitor and court fees for something that we did not need," Rachel said.
The family also received incorrect guidance on how to file a complaint and were once sent a form intended for another family with the same surname.
The family finally received a payout last Thursday, but without accompanying paperwork and no indication of ongoing pension payments due to Rachel's stepfather.
Background on Capita's Contract and Issues
Capita officially took over the £239 million contract to administer the Civil Service Pension Scheme six months ago.
The scheme, with over 1.7 million members, is among the largest in the UK.
In October 2025, the public accounts committee warned the Cabinet Office that Capita might not be prepared to manage the scheme effectively and planned to employ fewer staff than the previous administrators.
These warnings proved accurate.
Shortly after the takeover, scheme members reported difficulties accessing the new online portal, extended waits to reach customer service, and failures to receive lump sum payments and ongoing pensions.
Individuals who had planned their retirement carefully, expecting to clear mortgage or car finance debts, found themselves without lump sums or income.
Some were compelled to seek employment post-retirement to survive, while others delayed retirement until the issues improved.
Capita's Response and Government Actions
Capita stated it inherited a backlog exceeding 86,000 cases, rather than the 37,000 anticipated. By early February, the backlog had grown to over 120,000 cases.
The UK government introduced a recovery plan in February, deploying 150 government staff and 100 additional Capita employees to prioritize urgent cases and establishing an emergency interest-free loan scheme.
During a public accounts committee hearing in February, Capita executives apologized for the issues and pledged to resolve urgent and sensitive cases by the end of March.
In April, Capita apologized following a data breach exposing details of 138 members online.
Later that month, Capita's contract to manage the Royal Mail pension scheme was terminated.
Paymaster General Nick Symonds criticized Capita for failing to meet "critical transition milestones" and expressed a "lack of confidence in its ability to implement and transition to the new operating model in a timely fashion."
Symonds also condemned Capita's handling of the civil service pension scheme, stating it had "fallen far short of the required standard."
He described reports of members missing mortgage payments and experiencing hardship as "distressing and entirely unacceptable."
"No-one should have to face such financial anxiety after a lifetime of dedicated public service," he added.
Capita confirmed it continues working with the Cabinet Office to restore normal service levels.
"Additional trained resource remains in place, and our focus is on ensuring members of the Civil Service Pension Scheme receive the service they expect and deserve," a spokesperson said.
"We are sorry for the worry and frustration these delays are causing."
