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On what terms can she claim it? If she has an absolute right to claim it now - in other words, payment could not legally be refused - I think that notional capital issues could arise already, if she fails to apply for a payment which would necessarily be made on application. If however payments before basic pension age are at the trustees' discretion, then there is no immediate problem: this is specifically disregarded capital.
You say "a discretionary trust fund of which she is the beneficiary". It isn't strictly possible to have a discretionary trust with only one beneficiary. The trustees must hold the capital and income of the trust on trust for specific ascertainable beneficiaries, and are under a duty do use their discretion as to how they distribute that capital income during the trust period. Unless the terms of the lump sum have already been written in the form of a discretionary trust of which she is a beneficiary, I think it may be too late now. In essence the pension fund trustees would be paying it at her behest (a word you don't often get a chance to use), if she has a right to call for it. She would then be depriving herself of it.
You need advice on the terms of the pension scheme and any existing declarations of trust, to avoid making a possibly costly mistake.
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