Adult Disability Payment (ADP) has already replaced Personal Independence Payments (PIP) for new claimants applying for financial support in Dundee, Perth and Kinross and the Western Isles.
The next pilot areas to open for applications from new claimants will be in Angus, North Lanarkshire and South Lanarkshire on June 20. Adult Disability Payment is extra money to help people over 16 and under State Pension age who are living with a disability or long-term health condition that affects their everyday life.
The benefit will be administered by Social Security Scotland and while eligibility will be largely similar to PIP, a new guide has been released which could help people understand what information is and isn’t necessary to include on their application form.
The ' The ADP application form and how to interpret it’ is designed to help case managers make ' consistent and fair determinations for all individuals applying for Adult Disability Payment”.
The claim form consists of two parts:
- Part one - collects on basic eligibility criteria which is required to determine eligibility
- Part Two - gathers more specific detail about the claimant’s needs
This includes five key areas:
- The type of condition
- The potential length of the condition - is it likely to improve or deteriorate
- Common treatment pathways for the condition
- Common symptoms related to the condition and ranges of severity
- Areas of functional ability or parts of the body that may or may not be affected by the condition
The guidance goes into more detail for each section and gives example answers - not to be copied and pasted into a real application - which could help people who are unfamiliar with applying for disability assistance.
One of the most important areas is on conditions, as this is the reason why you are applying for support in the first place.
This section includes details of:
- The approximate length of time you have been experiencing the condition(s)
- Any symptoms you are experiencing and the severity of these symptoms
- How often you experience symptoms
- Any treatment and / or care input you receive
The guidance also shares some condition specific examples including:
- Depression and anxiety
- Stroke
- Autism
You can view these online here.
Functional questions
The functional questions give you an opportunity to tell Social Security Scotland about how your condition or disability impacts you in their daily life.
A case manager will use this information to determine which descriptor to select for each of the daily living and mobility component activities
There are 12 functional questions in the ADP application form which are similar to PIP.
Daily Living component questions
- Preparing food
- Taking nutrition
- Managing therapy or monitoring a health condition
- Washing and bathing
- Managing toilet needs or incontinence
- Dressing and undressing
- Communicating verbally
- Reading and understanding signs, symbols and words
- Engaging socially with other people face to face
- Making budgeting decisions
Mobility component questions
- Planning and following journeys
- Moving around
For every functional question you should give a detailed account of your ability to carry it out.
The guidance states that to make a fair and consistent decision, the case manager should consider the following information about an individual's functional ability:
- How are they currently completing the activity if at all
- Do they use any aids or appliances to complete the activity
- Do they need any assistance or support to complete the activity
- Do they need prompting to complete the activity
In all cases, the case manager must also consider:
- Are there any effects after completing the activity, for example fatigue or pain
- Are there any safety risks associated with completing the task
- How long does it take to complete the task
- If it is normal to do so would they be able to repeat the task
There are also detailed examples to give claimants a bit more clarity on what information is relevant and should be included, you can read full details here.
Adult Disability Payment rates
If you are awarded the Daily Living part you will be paid:
- £61.85 each week - for a standard award
- £92.40 each week - for an enhanced award
If you are awarded the mobility part you will be paid:
- £24.45 a week - for a standard award
- £64.50 a week - for an enhanced award
If you get an enhanced award for the mobility part, you can apply to lease an accessible vehicle - find out more here.
If you are terminally ill you will automatically get the enhanced daily living award.
Adult Disability Payment rollout dates
- Applications now open to new claimants - Dundee City, Perth and Kinross or the Western Isles
- June 20 - Angus, North Lanarkshire or South Lanarkshire
- July 25 - Fife, Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire, Moray, North Ayrshire, East Ayrshire or South Ayrshire
- August 29 - if you live elsewhere in Scotland
You do not need to apply for Adult Disability Payment if you already get PIP or Disability Living Allowance (DLA) for adults from the DWP.
Social Security Scotland will start to move your benefit to Adult Disability Payment without you having to do anything from August 29.
Find out more about how your benefit is moving to Social Security Scotland here.
To keep up to date with the changes to PIP in Scotland, join our Money Saving Scotland Facebook group here, follow Record Money on Twitter here, or subscribe to our twice weekly newsletter here.
