Please help, contributory pension problem re being sent 10 years worth of means tests

boxer11

Hi,
I'm just wondering if theres anyone out there who has heard of anything like this happening before. Basically, my Mum and Dad are in their seventies. Dad was a farmer and had prsi payments so qualified for the contributory pension when he came to retirement age and Mum also received a pension as a qualifying adult. To cut a long story short my mother, a few weeks ago, was sent ten years (backdated) worth of means test forms to be filled in with all their financial details and of course she is frantic about it. She didn't tell me (or anyone else) about it until the forms were filled out but I know she has gone through hell to try and fill them out to the best of her ability. I am really afraid for them now as, even though they don't have much in the line of actual money, they do have insurance policies and stocks (the kind of stocks lots of people of a certain age would have but never use...) which have upped and downed in value over the last 10 years and I am really afraid they could be hit with a huge bill for all the payments she received in the last ten years. They are in a state over this and to be honest it sounds ridiculous to me to send out these forms for the last ten years - surely if a mistake was made then it was the departments mistake and I don't know what to do. I am not sanctioned by my Mum to email or contact anyone about it as she is horrified at the thought that they might owe these gangsters money. I think that this is just preying on the older generation and wonder if this is happening as a result of a mess up with the state contributory pension for farmers wives (see below link if interested).[/FONT]

http://www.kerryman.ie/news/hanafin-sorry-for-pensions-error-2033521.html

Has anyone out there ever heard of anything like this? Can someone really be hit with 10 years worth of backdated means test forms? Surely if a form was supposed to be filled in ten years ago then it should have been filled in then. I am so scared that my parents could be hit with a gigantic bill and they are so honest they will sell everything they have to pay it off. If I could raise hell about this believe me I would but my parents won’t sanction me to do anything about it and I know they won’t go to a TD or anything like that about it either. They wouldn’t even go to see an accountant / solicitor. I am tearing my hair out here and would really love some advice or help with this. I have, of course tried ringing the social welfare offices about it but guess what they are not answering their phones, they’re well able to type up nasty / threatening letters to old people but they can’t be bothered to answer the phones or have the manners to help their victims out with their queries. Some country we live in for sure…….
Any help / advice / prior knowledge of something of this nature would be greatly appreciated.

dreamingoak

go right down yourself to the local community welfare officer in your area, and ask them for advice, they will be able to tell you what the reality is for your parents, and who to put them in touch with to help your parents. It wouldnt be doing it for them, but just getting advice and the right information. good luck.