Pension Age Disability Payment replaces Attendance Allowance
Falkirk is one of 13 council areas to roll out the new Pension Age Disability Payment, which replaces Attendance Allowance.
Social Security Scotland has begun transferring the awards of 169,000 people in Scotland who currently receive Attendance Allowance from the Department for Work and Pensions.
People do not need to take any action; the transfer will happen automatically in phases throughout 2025. Everyone will continue to receive their payments on time and in the right amount.
Social Security Scotland will notify people by letter when their benefit has been selected for transfer and it should take up to three months for the transfer from the Department for Work and Pensions. There will be no gaps in payments while people’s awards are being transferred.
Until people receive the letter from Social Security Scotland to tell them their transfer is complete, they should continue to report any change in their personal circumstances to the Department for Work and Pensions.
Social Justice Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said:
“The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that older people who have care needs because of a disability, long-term health condition or terminal illness get the financial support that they’re entitled to.
“As people’s awards start to transfer from Attendance Allowance, to Pension Age Disability Payment, they will be kept informed of this process and treated with dignity, fairness and respect.
Pension Age Disability Payment will be available in Falkirk on 24 March, alongside 13 other local authority areas. It will be available across all of Scotland from 22 April.
Social Security Scotland aims to complete case transfer for everyone by the end of 2025
More information about Pension Age Disability Payment is available at mygov.scot/pension-age-disability-payment and mygov.scot/moving-to-pension-age-disability-payment
Background
Pension Age Disability Payment is for people of State Pension age who have care needs because of a disability, long-term health condition or terminal illness. It is not means tested, meaning people can apply if they are working or have savings.
Social Security Scotland can help people apply, with face to face support available from its team based in communities across the country.
Help is also available from independent advocacy service Voiceability who are funded by the Scottish Government to help disabled people applying for devolved benefits.
A separate, accelerated application process for people who are terminally ill is also available. This is open to any eligible person who has a terminal diagnosis, no matter how long they’re expected to live. This is different to the DWP who only class someone as terminally ill if they are expected to live for 12 months or less. Eligible people automatically get the highest amount of Pension Age Disability Benefit.
Process for those with a terminal diagnosis: From 24 March 2025 a BASRiS form (instead of an SR1/DS1500 form) should be completed and sent to Social Security Scotland for all adults of state pension age, living in the pilot areas, who are terminally ill and applying for Pension Age Disability Payment.
The same should be done for adults of state pension age already in receipt of Pension Age Disability Benefit and later reporting a terminal illness diagnosis to Social Security Scotland.
For terminally ill patients already in receipt of Attendance Allowance (DWP benefit) a BASRiS form should be completed and sent to DWP. DWP will also accept an SR1 or DS1500 form.
For ways to access a BASRiS form, visit the Social Security Scotland website.
- Stakeholder Events: Social Security Scotland is hosting stakeholder events which will be of particular interest to clinicians and people supporting adults who are terminally ill. The next events will be held on Wednesday 19 March, Tuesday 8 April, and Wednesday 16 April. Information on these can be accessed on the Social Security website.
- Chief Medical Officer’s guidance: To comply with the Social Security (Scotland) Act 2018, clinicians are required to pay regard to the Chief Medical Officer’s Guidance when completing a BASRiS form. Registered Medical Practitioners and Registered Nurses are expected to promptly complete the BASRiS form for relevant patients.
- Support and resources: A number of resources are available to support clinicians who are interpreting and applying the Scottish definition of terminal illness when completing a BASRiS form. All the resources can be found in the Special Rules for Terminal Illness Guidance Library. These have been developed in conjunction with clinicians, the British Medical Association, the Royal College of General Practitioners in Scotland and the Royal College of Nursing to ensure relevance to professional regulatory requirements.