Older people with a disability or long-term health condition could be due either £73.90 or £110.40 each week.
Attendance Allowance payments issued by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) are set to end for all pensioners living in Scotland before the end of next month. Pension Age Disability Payments (PADP) is replacing the benefit for all 155,210 existing claimants and everyone should have received a letter informing them of the case transfer by now.
Social Security Scotland will administer and deliver PADP and recently said: “Anyone who is still getting Attendance Allowance from the Department for Work and Pensions and has not received a letter to say their benefit is transferring to Pension Age Disability Payment should get in touch with us.”
It went on to say that “everyone in Scotland who is getting Attendance Allowance should now either have had their award transferred to Pension Age Disability Payment or have received a letter from us telling them that their award transfer is in progress”. You can contact Social Security Scotland by phone on 0800 182 2222 or webchat between 8am to 5pm, Monday to Friday.
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Social Security Scotland added that people should continue to report any change of circumstances to the DWP until their benefit has fully transferred.
The latest figures from Social Security Scotland show 44,885 people over 66 were receiving PADP at the end of July.
For older people with a long-term health condition or disability thinking about making a new claim for PADP, the data indicates the average processing time – from point of application to decision award letter – is currently seven working days. For those applying with a terminal illness it is two working days.
This means people submitting a new claim this week could receive a letter or an email with an award decision by mid-November. However, it’s important to be aware that complex cases may take longer and as awareness about the new benefit grows, that timeframe will undoubtedly increase.
People aged 75 to 79 were the largest age group, making up just over a quarter (28%) of the caseload with the largest proportion of claimants living in Glasgow City (11%), followed by North Lanarkshire (8%) and Fife and South Lanarkshire (both 7%).
People of State Pension age with a disability, long-term illness or health condition could be eligible for the lower rate of £73.90 if they need help during the day or at night, or the higher rate of £110.40, if they need help during the day and at night, or if they are terminally ill.
Health conditions supported by Attendance Allowance and PADP
The conditions listed below are sourced from information recorded on the DWP’s Attendance Allowance computer system. PADP also supports people with these conditions.
It’s important to note this list is not a checklist for claiming Attendance Allowance or PADP, it is intended to help people understand what type of conditions are being supported.
However, if you need extra support during the day or night due to a long-term illness, disability or health condition, you should check out the official eligibility guidance for Attendance Allowance on the GOV.UK website here.
Older people with a disability or long-term health condition could be due either £73.90 or £110.40 each week.(Image: Getty )Main health conditions providing support to older people across Great BritainArthritisSpondylosisBack PainDisease Of The Muscles, Bones or JointsTrauma to LimbsVisual Disorders and DiseasesHearing DisordersHeart DiseaseRespiratory Disorders and DiseasesAsthmaCystic FibrosisCerebrovascular DiseasePeripheral vascular DiseaseEpilepsyNeurological DiseasesMultiple SclerosisParkinsons DiseaseMotor Neurone DiseaseChronic Pain SyndromesDiabetes MellitusMetabolic DiseaseTraumatic Paraplegia/TetraplegiaMajor Trauma Other than Traumatic Paraplegia/TetraplegiaLearning DifficultiesPsychosisPsychoneurosisPersonality DisorderDementiaBehavioural DisorderAlcohol and Drug AbuseHyperkinetic SyndromeRenal DisordersInflammatory Bowel DiseaseBowel and Stomach DiseaseBlood DisordersHaemophiliaMulti System DisordersMultiple Allergy SyndromeSkin DiseaseMalignant DiseaseSeverely Mentally impairedDouble AmputeeDeaf/BlindHaemodialysisFrailtyTotal Parenteral NutritionAIDSInfectious diseases: Viral disease – Coronavirus covid-19
The Scottish Government said PADP has been designed with the help of people who will be eligible for the benefit and those who support them. Improvements include a streamlined process for people to nominate a third party representative who can support them to communicate with Social Security Scotland.
Eligibility for Pension Age Disability Payment
Guidance on mygov.scot provides full details on who can claim, how to claim, additional help available, what happens after a claim is submitted and extra support for successful claimants. Find out more here.
You can apply for Pension Age Disability Payment if you have both:
Reached State Pension age (66)Had care needs during the day or night for 6 months or more because of a disability or health condition
You can still apply if:
You have not had care needs for 6 months or more – your award will begin 6 months from when your care needs started if your application is successfulYou are waiting for, or do not have, a diagnosisYou have a terminal illness – there is a separate fast-track application process if you’re terminally ill
It’s important to be aware you cannot get Pension Age Disability Payment and Attendance Allowance at the same time. Existing claimants will automatically move to Pension Age Disability Payment – Social Security Scotland will do this and you will not have to do anything.
If you get Disability Living Allowance (DLA), you do not need to do anything. Your benefit will move to Social Security Scotland.
Payment rates for Pension Age Disability Payment
Social Security Scotland will provide Pension Age Disability Payment at the same weekly rate as Attendance Allowance. It is also currently doing this for the devolved Child Disability Payment and Adult Disability Payment.
The weekly payment rates for Attendance Allowance are:
Lower rate – £73.90Higher rate – £110.40
Payments are usually issued every four weeks so this amounts to £295.60 or £441.60 each payment period.
How do I apply for the Pension Age Disability Payment?
You can only apply for the new disability assistance benefit if it has opened in your area. You can check on the dedicated pages on mygov.scot here.
Anyone over State Pension age with a disability that means they need assistance with looking after themselves, or supervision to keep them safe, should continue to apply for Attendance Allowance through the DWP.
Get support making a claim from an independent advocate
Help is also available from the independent advocacy service VoiceAbility, which is funded by the Scottish Government, to help disabled people applying for devolved benefits.
It provides a free, nationwide advocacy service supporting disabled people to access Social Security Scotland benefits.
If you need an advocate, you should:
contact Social Security Scotland for free on 0800 182 2222ask them to refer you to the Independent Advocacy Service
Full contact details can be found here.
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