Attendance Allowance is being replaced by a new benefit for claimants in Scotland.
The Pension Age Disability Payment, delivered through Social Security Scotland, will supplant the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) benefit.
The change will only affect claimants living in Scotland, and those in England or Wales will continue to receive their payments from the DWP.
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As with Attendance Allowance, the Pension Age Disability Payment is intended to help older people with a disability or health condition that requires them to be assisted or supervised.
As reported by the Daily Record, it is one of three new disability payments being introduced by the Scottish Government.
The other two are Adult Disability Payment (ADP), which is in the process or replacing Personal Independence Payment, and Child Disability Payment — which replaced Disability Living Allowance for Children last November.
The responsibility for these benefits, as well as Severe Disablement Allowance and Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit, was taken by the Scottish Government in April 2020.
As a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, and its impact on public services, the launch of Disability Assistance was delayed.
ADP was launched for new claimants in Dundee City, Perth and Kinross and the Western Isles on March 21, and will continue to be rolled out across every council areas throughout the year.
When will Pension Age Disability Payment replace Attendance Allowance?
Social Security Scotland has not yet said when the Pension Age Disability Payment will be rolled out, though the transfer of benefits from the DWP is predicted to be finished by 2025.
People in Scotland who claim Attendance Allowance will moved over to the new benefits in stages once it has been launched.
Who will be eligible to make a claim for the Pension Age Disability Payment?
It is expected that the eligibility criteria for Pension Age Disability Payment will be very similar to that of Attendance Allowance.
The benefit is intended for people who have reached the State Pension age, and who have had a disability or health condition for more than six months and require additional care.
How will claims be assessed?
A decision will be made about a claimant's entitlement to Pension Age Disability Payment based on their account of their circumstances and existing supporting information.
There will be no face-to-face assessments during the application process, instead there will be dedicated support in all 32 local councils across Scotland to help claimants in a "person-centred approach".
In an update on the progress of the new disability benefits, the Scottish Government said: "We are making the application process as simple and easy as possible to encourage and support people to apply for the payments they are entitled to.
"The application process for disability assistance will be inclusive, accessible, provided in a range of formats and available through a range of routes (online, phone, post and in-person). We are making a number of improvements to the application form to include clear guidance on how the eligibility criteria is applied.
"This will ensure a client is supported in providing relevant information with in-person support available."
Social Security Scotland have also said they will “assume responsibility, where necessary, for gathering information from various sources suggested by the individual” and that “consideration should be given to the supporting information that is most relevant in individual cases.”
Examples of supporting information include:
an occupational therapy assessment
a report from a district nurse
information from a partner
Payment rates for Pension Age Disability Payment
Social Security Scotland will provide the same rate of all forms of Disability Assistance as the current rate of the equivalent UK disability benefit, in this case, Attendance Allowance, and will increase the payment in line with inflation each year.
Based on the current 2022/2023 rates the weekly amounts of Pension Age Disability Payment will be:
Lower rate - £61.85
Higher rate - £92.40
How do I apply for the Pension Age Disability Payment?
You cannot apply for the new disability assistance benefit yet.
Anyone over State Pension age with a disability that means they need assistance with looking after themselves, or supervision to keep them safe, should continue to apply for Attendance Allowance through the DWP.
For the latest updates on the new Disability Assistance being delivered by Social Security Scotland, visit the website here.
