Coronavirus (COVID-19) – NHS Life Assurance Scheme
Information is now available on the NHS & Social Care Coronavirus Life Assurance Scheme, for staff performing frontline NHS or social care work.
You can apply for an adult dependant’s pension if you’re the spouse, civil partner or long term partner of a Scheme member who has died.
Read the survivor's guide (PDF: 485KB) before applying for a dependant's pension.
A printable version of the survivor's guide (PDF: 345KB) is also available.
Watch our video for more information on bereavement benefits.
Download the video transcript (PDF: 152KB).
What you may get
Factsheets are available to explain some of the benefits payable from the NHS Pension Scheme:
1995 Section - life assurance and family benefits (PDF: 216KB)1995 Section - death on re-employment (PDF: 163KB)2008 Section - life assurance and family benefits (PDF: 197KB)Trivial commutation of an adult dependant's pension factsheet (PDF:246KB)
How to apply
If the member dies in service, contact their employer who will give you the relevant form to complete and return to them.
If the member wasn’t in in active employment when they died download and complete the relevant form, using the guidance within the form to help you.
Claim for payment of children's pension (AW158)
There are 2 versions of the AW158 form.
The correct form to use depends on when pensionable Scheme membership ends:
Claim death benefits for a deferred member
An adult dependant's pension may not always be payable. We cannot pay a lump sum on death benefit until we confirm the late member’s personal representative.Claim death benefits for a deferred member (AW9P) (Word: 376KB)
Death in respect of a Pension Credit
We cannot pay a lump sum on death benefit until we confirm the late member’s personal representative.Claim for a lump sum on death in respect of a Pension Credit (AW11PC) (PDF: 197KB)