Nearly 300,000 benefit claimants in Scotland will start to see their Personal Independence Payment (PIP) replaced by the new Adult Disability Payment by the end of August, following the launch of a phased rollout across all 32 local council areas in March.
This will be a new payment for working adults under State Pension age who do not already claim disability benefits from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).
The Scottish Government confirmed that those people already receiving disability benefits through DWP will have their awards transferred to Social Security Scotland from August - without any interruptions to their award and will not have to apply for Adult Disability payment.
To help more people understand how the new benefit will differ from PIP, a new policy paper has been published on mygov.scot.
It states: “Treating people with dignity, fairness and respect will be at the heart of delivering Adult Disability Payment. It has been designed in partnership with people who will use it. Their input has been crucial in designing an improved service.”
Differences in disability benefit delivery
The document outlines how Social Security Scotland will deliver the devolved benefit from the DWP.
1. “We are ensuring that accessing Adult Disability Payment is as straightforward as possible and we will always start from a position of trust.”
2. “People will be able to choose how to apply, using a channel that meets their needs.”
3. “The application form will be straightforward and easy to use.”
4. “We are funding an independent advocacy service which will support people to access support.”
5. “There will be no DWP-style assessments and there won’t be any functional examinations.”
6. “Social Security Scotland will only need to collect one piece of formal supporting information when making a decision.”
7. “The onus will be on Social Security Scotland to collect information on people’s behalf.”
8. “We will place equal consideration on all sources of information, including clients’ family, carers and friends.”
9. “We will apply the eligibility criteria fairly and consistently to get more decisions right, first time.”
10. “We will take full account of people’s needs and of fluctuating conditions.”
11. “People challenging an Adult Disability Payment decision will be able to access Short Term Assistance when challenging a decision.”
12. “We will fast-track applications from people with a terminal illness.”
13. “Clinicians will use their judgement to determine whether a person is terminally ill, rather than using fixed periods of life expectancy.”
There is also a list of frequently asked questions about Adult Disability Payment at Disability Assistance in Scotland: Adult Disability Payment Policy Q&A, here.
Adult Disability Payment rollout dates
Adult Disability Payment will rollout nationwide from August 29, 2022.
Phase One - starts March 21, 2022
Pilot takes place in:
- Perthshire and Kinross
- Dundee
- Western Isles
Phase Two - starts June 20, 2022
Pilot takes place in:
- Perthshire and Kinross
- Dundee
- Western Isles
- Angus
- North Lanarkshire
- South Lanarkshire
Phase Three - starts July 25, 2022
Pilot takes place in:
- Perthshire and Kinross
- Dundee
- Western Isles
- Angus
- North Lanarkshire
- South Lanarkshire
- Fife
- Aberdeen
- Aberdeenshire
- Moray
- North Ayrshire
- East Ayrshire
- South Ayrshire
Legislation to introduce the new benefit was laid before the Scottish Parliament on December 17, 2021.
Current PIP payment rates
PIP is made up of two components - daily living and mobility.
Whether you get one or both of these and how much depends on how severely your condition affects you.
You could receive the following amounts per week depending on your circumstances:
Daily living
Standard rate - £60.00
Enhanced rate - £89.60
Mobility
Standard rate - £23.70
Enhanced rate - £62.55
The Scottish Government has also committed to undertaking an independent review of Adult Disability Payment within a year of its full introduction, to consider the eligibility criteria, gather feedback from people who have applied and collect data to inform any proposed changes.
Social Security Scotland has also been working with people with lived experience and relevant organisations to develop all aspects of the disability benefit application process to make it easy and inclusive for people to access support they are entitled to.
There are a number of ways to apply for the new benefit, these include:
- Online
- By post
- Over the phone
- Face-to-face
Social Security Scotland local delivery teams will also be available to provide assistance in all 32 local authority areas.
Find out more about Adult Disability Payment here.
Until March, if you are making a new claim for PIP or DLA, you should do so through DWP - find out more here.
To keep up to date with the rollout of Adult Disability Payment, join our Money Saving Scotland Facebook group here, follow Record Money on Twitter here, or subscribe to our twice weekly newsletter here.
