Over 200,000 disabled adults have now had their benefit award
transferred to Social Security Scotland from the Department for
Work and Pensions, new figures show.
Almost two thirds (63%) of adults in Scotland who were previously
getting Personal Independence Payment are now receiving Adult
Disability Payment.
This marks a milestone in the ambitious project to safely and
securely transfer the disability and carers benefit awards of
everyone in Scotland, allowing them to benefit from a new system
based on dignity, fairness and respect.
Adult Disability Payment was designed in partnership with
disabled people to be better than the benefit it is replacing.
A significant improvement was ending the time-consuming and
demanding re-assessments carried out by the DWP to decide if
someone's support should continue.
In Scotland these have been replaced with light touch reviews
that ensure people are getting the right support without
requiring them to provide unnecessary information or face a
private sector assessment.
All disability and carer benefits are expected to be transferred
to Social Security Scotland by the end of 2025, with benefit
awards for disabled children already fully transferred.
A recent survey found almost 90% of people who had their
disability benefit moved to Social Security Scotland said they
were informed about the process and the communication was clear.
, Cabinet Secretary
for Social Justice said:
“This is an important milestone in the devolution of benefits to
Scotland.
“People who received DWP benefits talked about the system being
inhumane. They had experienced a system which did not get the
decision right first time and which involved degrading
assessments run by private providers.
“That worry is over for many now as we have moved the awards of
hundreds of thousands of people to our new system, where they can
benefit from its founding principles of dignity, fairness and
respect.
“Adult Disability Payment was designed in partnership with
disabled people to be better, fairer and easier to access.
“We are continuing to transfer the awards of disabled people from
the DWP to our new system.
“If you are waiting to have your award transferred, please be
assured that you do not need to do anything. The move will begin
automatically and there will not be any gaps or changes to your
payments.”
Sylvia Paton who is registered blind, said:
“A lot of people have been put through an assessment process
where it feels as though staff are trying to trip you up and
implying you are lying about your disability.
“The DWP made me go for a medical assessment. We went into a room
with a window facing the door and it was an instant white out for
me.
“The lady said, ‘Take a seat,' but I couldn't see one and she
didn't tell me where it was. It was just awful and humiliating.
It was all about ticking boxes with no understanding of my
medical condition.
“I didn't experience anything like that going from PIP to Adult
Disability Payment. It was very automatic and painless.”
James Kyle, 41, delayed telling the DWP about his deteriorating
eyesight due to his “traumatic” experiences with them.
James, from Cumbernauld, said:
“My condition impacts on anything which requires me to see fine
detail. Reading is particularly challenging and using the cooker
and the washing machine can be a problem.
“Recognising people and threatening situations are also difficult
and I try not to travel at night or go places I'm not familiar
with. I stick to fixed routes I know very well and rely a lot on
taxis.
“My eyesight had deteriorated but I didn't want to put myself
through a review, even if it meant I would get more money,
because of the emotional trauma I'd been put through. There was
also the fear of losing what I was already getting.
“I heard Adult Disability Payment wasn't as bad so I decided to
report a change in circumstances which I knew would trigger my
transfer from DLA.
“There was a long form to complete but when I asked for help a
gentleman went through the form with me on a video conference
call. I couldn't have asked for a better service and my payment
was uprated.”
Kirstie Henderson, Policy Officer at RNIB Scotland
said:
“We are delighted the Cabinet Secretary has visited, as it is
vitally important that we listen to the experiences of blind and
partially sighted people about social security benefits.
“Overall the experiences of people we've spoken to about their
transfer to Adult Disability Payment has been positive, however
there is always room for improvement.
“They have told us about the importance of receiving information
in an accessible format, and being made aware of the support
available to help claim what they're entitled to.
“Access to information in accessible formats is a key principle -
it allows people to take control of their own decisions.
“RNIB Scotland will continue to work closely with those
delivering social security, ensuring the needs of blind and
partially sighted people continue to be met.”
