They say well over 100 in line for the money have been excluded.
Shockingly, others are being forced to describe the distressing circumstances of their husband’s death. One furious widow likened the system to “mental abuse”.
Another described it as “a slap in the face”.
The women lost out on a £7,500-a-year pension because they remarried before April 2015.
After a lengthy campaign, backed by the Daily Express, they were told earlier this year they would receive a £87,500 lump sum.
They then had to fight for the money to be tax free.
Now it has emerged that the wording on the seven-page claim form means many who expected to get the cash do not qualify because they get an attributable Armed Forces pension linked to their late husband’s service.
And that means the Government’s own assertion that 380 women would be eligible for the money is simply wrong.
Moira Kane, who chairs the War Widows Association, told the Daily Express: “We cannot believe there is now another issue – we are so disappointed.
“These ladies – many elderly – have been denied the recognition of their status as War Widows because they chose to remarry before the rules changed – and now they have to deal with another barrier.”
She insisted: “Occupational pensions were never on the agenda. And now they are to be further discriminated against because of the pensions scheme their husbands were in and the date they remarried.”
She said the association had written to Dr Andrew Murrison, parliamentary under-secretary at the Ministry of Defence, and the civil servants team overseeing the payments “to press for a speedy and honourable resolution”.
Mrs Kane said: “To date the MoD has only said that they are looking into various possibilities.
“As we approach Remembrance Day we have still not had a reply or explanation from the MoD.
“You can imagine that Remembrance Day has a particular poignancy for those widowed when their husbands died as a consequence of their service in the Armed Forces.”
Mrs Kane added: “The anger felt by our members is obvious but there is also the emotional upset, which has reduced many to tears.
“They feel as if once again they have been bypassed and the life which their partner gave on behalf of this country is forgotten.
“In this week when the country remembers the fallen, I hope the Ministry of Defence remembers those who were left behind.” The WWA has been battling the injustice over pensions for eight years, pleading their case with successive prime ministers.
Under the old rules, women or men who lost their spouses in the line of duty were stripped of their war widow’s pensions if they remarried or cohabited with someone else.
In April 2015 the law changed, and they were told they could keep the £7,500 a year if they found love again.
But around 300 missed out as they had already wed for a second time and the law was not backdated. They were only eligible if they divorced their second husband or were widowed again.
Maureen Jarvis, whose second husband is Graham, has been campaigning on the issue since 2014.
She said she was “incredulous” that Veterans UK, the branch of the MoD handling the claims, was so disorganised.
“Many widows reported how badly they were treated when trying to ascertain what was happening.
“Not only did the form require us to provide an explanation as to how our husbands died, but we had to provide numerous certificates…together with evidence of living together with our current husbands.
“Then it mentioned if we were in receipt of an attributable military pension, then we would not be eligible for this recognition payment.
“At no point in any campaigning, discussions, emails etc was this pension mentioned.”
She added: “We are absolutely devastated, not to mention emotionally exhausted.
“It is cruel, and downright disgusting how we, supposedly members of the military family covered by the Armed Forces Covenant, are treated.”
Glynis Anscombe, from Plymouth, whose first husband was fatally injured on the Falls Road, Belfast, in 1983, said information she and other widows were being asked to send out should be held on record by the MoD. She said: “This whole process I liken to mental abuse.”
The MoD believes between 18 and 60 widows would currently be ineligible for the special recognition payment because they receive an attributable pension.
A spokesman said: “The eligibility criteria was shared with the War Widows Association during the development of the scheme, which is designed to provide support to widows who do not receive compensation, like their spouses’ attributable pension, due to forfeiting their entitlement.
“This payment is part of our commitment to recognise the sacrifice of Armed Forces personnel who died in service of their country and the families left behind.”
