Adult Disability Payment has already replaced Personal Independence Payments (PIP) for new claimants, over 16 and under State Pension age, 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.
While eligibility criteria is similar to PIP, a disability benefit delivered by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), Social Security Scotland will deliver Adult Disability Payment and has published its Decision Making Guidance which includes details on the ‘backwards and forwards tests’ that new claimants will need to be aware of before submitting their application.
Adult Disability Payment is made up of the same two components as PIP - daily living and mobility.
To be eligible for PIP, you must have a health condition or disability where you:
- have had difficulties with daily living or getting around (or both) for 3 months
- expect these difficulties to continue for at least 9 months
To apply for Adult Disability Payment, new claimants must meet similar criteria, referred to as ‘backwards and forwards tests’.
The Social Security Scotland guidance states that an individual “must satisfy the required period condition for whichever rate of the component they are being considered for” - the backwards and forwards tests together make up this required period.
The backwards test is the amount of time the individual must have met the conditions of entitlement for a particular rate of a component of Adult Disability Payment.
The forwards test looks at the amount of time the individual is likely to meet the conditions of entitlement for a particular rate of a component of Adult Disability Payment.
However, there is no backwards or forwards test for people with a terminal illness.
The relevant date for a new application means:
- From the date of the application submitted by the claimant
Or if later
- From the earliest date when a Social Security Scotland case manager can look back and determine an individuals’ entitlement for the previous 13 weeks
In cases where the individual already has an award of either or both components, the relevant date can be any day of that award.
The backwards and forwards tests
Backwards test
The guidance states: “The individual must have met, or it is likely that they would be determined to meet, the conditions of entitlement for the relevant rate of the component for all of the days in the 13 weeks ending on the relevant date.”
The forwards test
The guidance states: “For new applications it must be likely that the individual would be determined to meet the conditions of entitlement for the relevant rate of the component for all of the days in the 39 weeks from the date after the relevant date.”
Relevance of the date on an application
The date of application is usually the date on which the application is received by Social Security Scotland.
However, claimants do not need to wait until the backwards test is complete before making an application for the benefit.
If they consider they likely will meet the backwards test within 13 weeks they can submit an application.
If someone applies before they meet the backwards test, but likely will do within 13 weeks of making their application, the date the application is treated as
being made is the date on which the individual will meet the conditions of entitlement - this includes the backwards and forward tests.
Date of entitlement
The backwards test must be met before the entitlement to Adult Disability Payment can begin.
Social Security Scotland states that the date an individual satisfies the backwards test may be different for the daily living component and the mobility component.
It states: “The case manager may need further information to determine that the backwards test has been met and the forwards test is to be met. This information should confirm that the individual is likely to meet the conditions of entitlement during both of the relevant periods.”
Importance of dates on the claim form
Social Security Scotland case managers will use weeks to calculate the backwards test and forwards test.
However, sometimes, people can only give the month and year when the required level of needs started and in those circumstances, the case manager may ask the claimant to indicate a week in which the needs first began.
The case manager would then set the first day of the week as the day the needs began - the week runs from Monday to Sunday.
But there’s no need to worry, or be expected to recall the exact day or date, as case managers will assume the needs of the claimant started on the first day of the week in calculating the backwards test.
This is also the same if someone applies and says their needs began during the last week of a certain month, Social Security Scotland will interpret this as the first day (Monday) of the final week of the month.
Find out more about the eligibility for Adult Disability Payment on the Scot Gov website here.
How are claims for Adult Disability Payment assessed?
Social Security Scotland will make decisions about entitlement for Adult Disability Payment using the applicant’s account of their circumstances and existing supporting information, where possible.
The number of face-to-face assessments will be significantly reduced and will only be necessary when it is the only practicable way to make a decision.
Claimants will no longer be asked to carry out tasks to demonstrate how their disability, long-term illness or mental health condition affects them as part of the application process.
Examples of supporting information
This will be used to help make a decision about your claim and will include:
a social care needs assessment
a report from a community psychiatric nurse
information from a carer
Payment rates for Adult 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 (PIP) and will increase in line with inflation each year.
Payment rates are weekly and paid every four weeks.
Daily Living part
- Standard rate: £61.85
- Enhanced rate: £92.40
Mobility part
- Standard rate: £24.45
- Enhanced rate: £64.50
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