A new update has been issued to people on Personal Independence Payment who will have to move on to a replacement benefit. In Scotland, a number of devolved welfare schemes are in place that only operate north of the border.
Scots are seeing PIP replaced by Adult Disability Payment, Disability Living Allowance by Child Disability Payment, Attendance Allowance by Pension Age Disability Payment and Carer’s Allowance by Carer Support Payment. In addition, there is a Winter Heating Payment instead of the Cold Weather Payment, while the Winter Fuel Payment will be replaced by a Pension Age Winter Heating Payment next year.
Social Security Scotland – the equivalent of the DWP in the Scottish government – says it has now selected all cases that will need to move from PIP to ADP. The latest statistics from October 2024 show there are 3.66 million people in Britain who are claiming PIP, including just over 80,000 in Scotland who are yet to be transferred to ADP.
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Social Security Scotland issued a new update that said: “Living in Scotland and still getting Personal Independence Payment (PIP)? You should have received a letter saying your benefit is moving to Adult Disability Payment. If you haven’t received it, please contact us by calling free on 0800 182 2222 or via webchat.”
Guidance on its website explains: “Not everyone’s benefit is moving at the same time. It’s happening in phases. It will take until 2025 to move everyone’s benefit across. Your Adult Disability Payment will be the same amount as your PIP, unless you’ve notified DWP of a change in your health condition. You’ll be paid on the same day. There will be no gap in your payments during the move from PIP to Adult Disability Payment.
“DWP and Social Security Scotland will move your benefit for you. Social Security Scotland will not reassess or review your award during the move. Once DWP and Social Security Scotland start to move your benefit, the process will take around 3 to 4 months (13 to 17 weeks) to complete. Your move will happen faster, around 1 to 2 months (4 to 8 weeks), if you’ve reported a relevant change in your condition to DWP.”
The DWP said: “The Scottish Government is now replacing PIP and DLA for working-age people with Adult Disability Payment (ADP), a new benefit launched in 2022. Depending on where new claimants live, they have applied for ADP rather than PIP on or after these dates:
- March 21, 2022, for those who live in Dundee City, Perth and Kinross or the Western Isles (Na h-Eileanan Siar)
- June 20, 2022, for those who live in Angus, North Lanarkshire or South Lanarkshire
- July 25, 2022, for those who live in Fife, Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire, Moray, North Ayrshire, East Ayrshire or South Ayrshire
- August 29, 2022, for those who live elsewhere in Scotland
“DWP will continue to administer PIP to existing claimants over a transitional period. Social Security Scotland began to move clients to ADP from Summer 2022. PIP claimants in Scotland are being sent a letter informing them what will happen when they transfer, but will not have to do anything to start an ADP claim or end a PIP claim as this will be managed for them. DWP will continue to pay a PIP claim until the transfer is complete.
“From August 29, 2022 onwards, applications for support because of disability or long-term ill-health in Scotland should be made to ADP rather than PIP. However, a small proportion of people choose to initiate their claim via PIP systems and their details will be passed over to Social Security Scotland to convert to an ADP claim. Such applications should not give rise to an assessment.”
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