Adult Disability Payment increases to 7 more areas ahead of national roll out

This means Adult Disability Payment is now available in 13 council areas ahead of opening nationwide on 29 August. It is the twelfth and most complex benefit to be delivered by the Scottish Government and replaces the UK Government’s Personal Independence Payment. The benefit provides financial support to people aged between 16 and state pension age, who are disabled, have a long-term health condition or have a terminal illness.

People already receiving the UK Government’s Personal Independence Payment and Disability Living Allowance do not need to make an application for Adult Disability Payment. These existing awards will transfer automatically from the DWP to Social Security Scotland. Cases will transfer in stages starting from this summer and this process is expected to be completed by the end of 2025.

Minister for Social Security Ben Macpherson said:

“We are taking a positive, responsible and compassionate approach to delivering disability benefits. This is in contrast to aspects of the current UK Government system. The Scottish Government is committed to treating people with dignity, fairness and respect and we start from a position of trust.

“Adult Disability Payment is an important financial support to provide security and help people live well. I would encourage anyone in Scotland who could be eligible to please check and apply. We want people to get support that they’re entitled to, because social security is a shared investment to help build a fairer and better society together.

“When people apply for our disability benefits, we are focused on making the right decisions first time to reduce the need for people to go through a redetermination or appeal. When Social Security Scotland is making a decision it will only need one formal piece of supporting information from a professional, such as a social care assessment, medical report or prescription list, and if required we will obtain that information for people. We will never use the private sector to carry out health assessments and there won’t be any degrading functional examinations such as asking a client to ‘touch their toes’.”

Susan Burt, People First (Fife) said:

“People First are pleased to see the new Adult Disability Payment. Our needs are being better understood by using face to face local delivery teams and an easier application process. We hope this will help people with a learning disability to have better and fairer access to their benefits.”

Background

• more information on how the Adult Disability Payment will be delivered
• Adult Disability Payment is being introduced in pilot areas ahead of opening nationwide on 29 August.
• Adult Disability Payment opened for applications in Dundee, Perth, and the Western Isles in March and Angus, North Lanarkshire, and South Lanarkshire in June.
• Over 300,000 people will be part of the case transfer from Personal Independence Payment to Adult Disability Payment.
• Around 39,000 people are currently in receipt of Working Age Disability Living Allowance. When Adult Disability Payment is nationwide at the end of August, where someone reports a relevant change, or their award is due to be renewed, or they request to transfer, their case will be transferred to Adult Disability Payment on a like-for-like basis. Their award will then be reviewed in line with the usual Adult Disability Payment rules after the transfer completes.
• The advocacy service provided by VoiceAbility is entirely independent of the Scottish Government and Social Security Scotland. This can be accessed by contacting VoiceAbility directly for free on 0300 303 1660 or by visiting voiceability.org