Sending LPA to Pensions Service

[Sues51]

Has anyone any experience of sending certified copies of the LPA to the Pensions Service? My dad has recently entered a care home and I have spoken to someone at the Pensions Service who insisted that they needed to see the original document. However, a representative of Age UK has told me that I can take it into my local jobcentre(where I work) get it photocopied and certified as a true copy by a colleague and this should be sufficient. I know that we do this for birth/marriage certificates etc. I am very reluctant to send the original as I know from experience that post does get lost/mislaid even when sent recorded or registered.

[Sue J]

Has anyone any experience of sending certified copies of the LPA to the Pensions Service? My dad has recently entered a care home and I have spoken to someone at the Pensions Service who insisted that they needed to see the original document. However, a representative of Age UK has told me that I can take it into my local jobcentre(where I work) get it photocopied and certified as a true copy by a colleague and this should be sufficient. I know that we do this for birth/marriage certificates etc. I am very reluctant to send the original as I know from experience that post does get lost/mislaid even when sent recorded or registered.

I've not done this with an LPA but I have with my own official docs I didn't want to put in post. I did what you have been advised by Age UK and took them to local jobcentre where they were copied and certified as true by jobcentre staff - I've not been asked for further info but they processed evertything OK

[sotty]

Hi I would also be reluctant to send the original. I saw a solicitor today who certified two copies of the LPA I hold for my husband so that I can send 1 to an insurance company and 1 spare for future use - I was expecting a big bill, but this was completely free!
It might be worth contacting the pensions service and ask if they will accept a certified copy, and if so who needs to certify it? (For information, the certified copy needs to be certified and signed on every page.)
Good luck, I hope you get a satisfactory solution soon.

[Saffie]

Maybe Deputyship is different in this respect but I have had to send the original documents I received from the Court with the Court impressed stamp on them to eveybody who has requested proof of my deputyship. These include the DWP, Inland Revenue, Insurance company and bank and Building society - so far! The insurance company returned it with part of the second page missing which meant half the court stamp was missing thus rendering it useless.

[Canadian Joanne]

I only ever sent certified copies. I originally had about 7 or 8 copies made, as I knew that the bank, nursing home, pension etc would want a copy on file.

My favourite (not) moments were the 4 or 5 times the insurance company lost the PoA over 10 years and I had to resend and resend it. I finally put my foot down last summer and had a major tantrum on them. Apparently they clean their files out every couple of years. Too bad for them - I am done resending them documents they should have on file.

[Contrary Mary]

I didn't have to send Mum's POA to the Pensions Service as I was already a "trusted helper" and had my own card to withdraw the money from the Post Office. However, I was in a similar situation with the Inland Revenue. The office which dealt with Mum's tax was miles away, so I went into the local enquiry office where they copied then stamped and signed the copy which was sent in their internal post to the right office.

[Sues51]

Accessing his money isn't a problem as his pension is paid into a joint account with mum, so she can draw the money out at any time. I need to speak to the Pension service because they are still paying his Attendance Allowance with his pension despite me informing Disability and Carers service about his admission to hospital at the end of January, they have confirmed that they have informed Pensions to stop paying but it is still in payment.

I think I may just get it copied at at work and get a colleague to stamp it and authenticate it and send it off and see what happens, it's not going to cost me anything and if they won't accept it I'll have to have another think.

[nicoise]

Dear Sue51,

As I'm sure you are all too aware from reading here on TP, there is often confusion with staff about exactly what is needed by an institution.

A certified copy (usually done by a solicitor) is usually adequate for virtually every situation.

I was warned NEVER to send away the Original - if it is lost you really do have a problem. Even having it copied whilst you are in an institution's building you should check every page is returned to you (with me, a bank left the last page in the copier - luckily I checked).

Or as was earlier suggested having a certified copy done by a linked organisation might well be adequate - Santander insisted on me taking the LPA to one of their branches and having it done for them, their certified copy then being sent onto head office.

You could try your way first and see what happens. The rules around LPAs seem to be sadly misunderstood "at the coal face".

Good luck!