Adult Disability Payment (ADP) will start to replace Personal Independence Payment (PIP) for more than 305,000 people in Scotland this year, opening to new applicants in three council areas on Monday, March 21.
The launch of the new devolved benefit next week means that people of working age with a disability, long-term illness, physical or mental health condition, living in Dundee City, Perth and Kinross or the Western Isles council areas will be able to apply for support through Social Security Scotland and not the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).
A phased launch of the new support payment has been scheduled for all 32 council areas across Scotland with nationwide rollout due to begin on August 29, 2022 for 305,279 existing PIP claimants.
People already receiving PIP will not need to apply for Adult Disability Payment as their awards will be transferred automatically to Social Security Scotland.
The Scottish Government confirmed this migration “will be done safely and securely so that people will still get the same amount of money, to the same account” with the date of their first payment confirmed in writing before they transfer.
Adult Disability Payment rollout dates
- March 21 - 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
The latest PIP figures released by the DWP show that in January there were 2,881,401 people receiving financial support for 547 disability, long-term illness or health conditions across the UK.
Adult Disability Payment will bring many positive changes to Scots applying for disability assistance for the first time and those already receiving PIP or Disability Living Allowance (DLA).
One of the major changes will be the removal of face to face assessments, something the Scottish Government guidance clarifies in an online Adult Disability Payment Q&A factsheet.
It states: “We have replaced controversial private sector face to face assessments with compassionate consultations.
“A consultation will be a compassionate conversation between a client and a health and social care practitioner focused on the client’s needs.”
Another crucial change which will affect thousands of people living with a long-term condition is the introduction of an “indefinite award”, the Scottish Government hopes this will alleviate the potential worry caused by the prospect of the length of a payment award, which under PIP guidelines, can be anywhere between three months and 10 years - often referred to as a “light touch” review.
A PIP award review involves the claimant having to complete the assessment process again in order to establish if there has been any change in their needs relating to their condition.
However, Social Security Minister Ben Macpherson, has announced that people awarded the highest levels of Adult Disability Payment awards - enhanced rates for daily living and mobility components - will receive long-term support, through an indefinite award to ensure they do not need to go through an “unnecessary” review when it is “reasonably expected that their situation will not change”.
He explained: “The introduction of indefinite awards, as part of ADP, underlines our commitment to deliver on the principles of Scotland’s social security system to treat people with dignity, fairness and respect. In making this decision, we have engaged with a wide range of people with lived experience of the current system and will continue to listen as we design and build a social security system that works for disabled people.
“We want to ensure that people on the highest levels of Adult Disability Payment awards receive long-term and adequate support, because those with lifelong conditions, or disabilities resulting in needs highly unlikely to change, should not be subject to unnecessary reviews when it is reasonably expected that their situation will not change.
“Under the UK Government’s Personal Independence Payment, similar awards have generally been reviewed between every two to 10 years. However, disabled people tell us that even review periods of 10 years can create stress and anxiety.
“That is why we have decided to introduce indefinite awards - we are determined to do things differently and build a more compassionate system in Scotland.”
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.
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 (£61.85 from April 11)
Enhanced rate - £89.60 (£92.40 from April 11)
Mobility
Standard rate - £23.70 (£24.45 from April 11)
Enhanced rate - £62.55 (£64.50 from April 11)
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.
