200,000+ Disabled People Benefitting from Devolved System
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.
It is very welcome that so many people across Scotland are benefiting from the new devolved social security system that the Scottish Government has been developing.
GRAEME
This was and continues to be designed to rectify the flaws in the DWP’s approach to welfare payments, and the feedback from recipients really captures a shift from feeling interrogated and assumed to be lying to being understood and respected.
This is an important juncture in the transfer of responsibility from UK to Scottish Governments – a change that is making a real difference to some of our most vulnerable citizens.
This is an important milestone in the devolution of benefits to Scotland.
CABINET SECRETARY FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE, SHIRLEY-ANNE SOMERVILLE
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.
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.
KIRSTIE HENDERSON, POLICY OFFICER AT RNIB SCOTLAND
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.
