Check out the latest facts and updates regarding What is a WASPI Woman: What Does WASPI Stand For? WASPI Updates Today. The WASPI is a UK-based organization or campaign group that launched a protest against the sudden transition in the state pension age. This article will discuss the latest updates regarding the WASPI protest.
What is a WASPI Woman
According to the 1995 Pension Act, the woman age of State pension was escalated up to 65 years from 60 years. Later, as per the 2011 Pension Act, further transitions were made, and the age was increased to 66 years, which, according to the women born between 1950 and 1960, impacted negatively. The state pension age of women changed to equalize the state pension age of men.
To protest against sudden change, a campaign group called WASPI came into existence in 2015. The group included women born between 1950 and 1960. The woman who was involved in the protest was referred to as the WASPI Woman. According to WASPI Women, the changes were made without their prior information, affecting their plans and leaving them with insufficient time to prepare themselves without their pension for six years.
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What Does WASPI Stand For
WASPI, a campaign group that stands for Women Against State Pension Inequality, was created to protest the sudden changes in the age of State Pensions. The group comprises women born between 6 April 1950 and 5 April 1960. According to the WASPI, sudden change in the pension age without even their prior information. The lack of interaction led them to live without their pension for six years. They further stated that the changes negatively affected their mental health and financial circumstances.
In response to the protest, the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) published an investigation report in which it was recommended that the women be compensated for their losses. The compensation amount would be payment level four, which is £1,000 to £2,950. However, the woman was expecting payment level six, which is £10,000, as compensation.
WASPI Updates Today
Approximately four lakh women are awaiting compensation, but the General Elections in the UK upended the protest of WASPI. However, the women vowed to continue the protest. Rishi Sunak stated that after the general elections, their government would look after the issue, in response to which the campaigners stated that they would not let the elections get in their way of protest.
The PHSO official mentioned that women suffered injustice due to the DWP’s negligence, and compensation was recommended. However, the DWP stated that the government would consider the recommendation. It further stated that the foundation of retirement income was and will remain the state pension; the DWP decided to raise the state pension to 8.5%, which eventually enhanced the state pension by £900.
In addition, the women were supposed to receive compensation by the second part of 2024 and before the summer break, but it was delayed due to the current general elections. However, the Conservative Party and the Labour Party both refused to commit to compensation for the loss of WASPI Women. The chancellors stated that if they compensated the women as per the PHSO report, they would lose out financially. The chairperson of the Labour Party stated that the WASPI women suffered injustice due to the negligence of DWP; they deserve respect.
How to claim WASPI
DWP has not provided a timeline for compensation payment. However, according to a published report by PHSO, the women should receive compensation. Claimants can claim the compensation by following the below mentioned steps:
- First, claimants must contact the DWP and find out the special requirements for filling out the claim form.
- Applicants must collect the required documents at the time of document verification. The women should prove to the DWP how severe the impact of state pension change on them.
- The application must be filled out as per the DWP guidelines provided.
The DWP will review applicants’ applications. The acknowledgement and rejection of applications will depend on the claimant’s authenticity. The decision will be notified to the claimant via the provided contact details. Payment will be made for approved applications. However, despite authenticating the application, if it is rejected, then the claimant can appeal against the rejection.
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All We Know
The WASPI women protested against the changes, and no one could imagine their situation after the government and the High Court declined to compensate them, despite a published report by PHSO in March. The WASPI women demanded only recognition and fair compensation.
However, they refused to back out and continued the protest until they got justice. To get more updates regarding compensation and the latest news, readers must visit the official website of WASPI.
