A pensioner has been refused access to his state pension over a 50-year-old regulation.
Mark Jones, 69, has been told he cannot claim the pension he contributed to for more than three decades, whilst receiving government support for caring for his two adult children with disabilities.
The father from Jersey provides full-time care for his daughter Meg, who lives with severe autism, and his son Ryan, who has Down syndrome.
Both require constant support and will never achieve independent employment.
Jersey's Social Security Overlapping of Benefits order from 1975 prohibits residents from claiming multiple state benefits concurrently, effectively forcing Mr Jones to forfeit his pension entitlement despite over three decades in employment.
The 69-year-old spent 32 years employed at an accountancy firm, where both he and his employer made "significant" pension contributions.
He told ITV: "My employer was paying six and a half per cent of my salary and I was paying in six - so there was what I would say was quite a lot in my pot."
"When I found out I wasn't entitled to it, I thought it just can't be right."
A pensioner has been refused access to his state pension over a 50-year-old regulation
|GETTY
In 2021, he initiated a petition that attracted more than 1,000 supporters, though legislative changes remain elusive.
He has since renewed his campaign with Deputy Lyndsay Feltham, Jersey's Social Security Minister, arguing the legislation requires modernisation.
Mr Jones described the situation as "heartbreaking" whilst acknowledging his unwavering commitment to his children's care.
He said: "You care out of love and you'll never stop doing it, and you do think you're put on sometimes."
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He cannot claim the pension he contributed to for more than three decades
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He highlighted the financial burden his care saves the Government, adding: "I know 100 per cent that if something happened to me now and I couldn't care for Ryan and Meg, it would cost the state around £300,000 a year."
Ben Shenton, who chairs Age Concern Jersey, endorsed the campaign for reform.
He said: "Guernsey changed the law seven years ago, so they showed common sense and compassion, where we showed none.
"You work till retirement age, you pay into the system, you need a lot of years of contributions to get a full pension, and then they deny it to you."
Jersey's Social Security Overlapping of Benefits order from 1975 prohibits residents from claiming multiple state benefits concurrently
|GETTY
Jersey's Department for Employment, Social Support and Housing said: "The 1975 order applies a core principle across all contributory benefits: individuals can only receive one contributory benefit at a time, reflecting Jersey's worker-funded social insurance model.
"Apart from Home Carer's Allowance (HCA), all other working-age benefits expire when an individual claims an old age pension or reaches pension age.
"A unique exception exists for HCA recipients at pension age - they may choose to carry on claiming their HCA or move to their pension, whichever they prefer. In cases where a parent cares for an adult child, the adult child can apply for Income Support independently and receive eligible components.
"[We'd like to] reassure islanders that considerable support is available to both family carers and people with disabilities receiving care in their own homes. The Minister values the contribution of islanders who care for loved ones at home and remains committed to improving support for people living with disabilities and their carers."
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