NEWS: Changes Coming To Disability Benefits System In Scotland

MWH Admin TeamNews

Changes are on the way for the disability benefits system in Scotland with the first of three new assistance payments due to be rolled out from autumn 2021.

Child Disability Payment is set to replace Disability Living Allowance Child (DLA Child) and will provide additional financial support to children and young people with disabilities, as well as their families, to help with the additional costs they incur as a result of having a long-term health condition. Families currently receiving DLA Child payments from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) will start to be transferred to the new Scottish system later this year.

The Adult Disability Payment, which is replacing Personal Independence Payment (PIP), and the Pension Age Disability Payment, which will replace Attendance Allowance, are expected to be in place from 2022.

Chief Medical Officer guidance is about to be published to support the clinical judgement of healthcare professionals following the new terminal illness definition for the purpose of accessing disability assistance.

The definition included in the Social Security (Scotland) Act 2018 moves away from the 6 month time limited definition that the DWP currently uses and does not require an explicit time frame within which death is reasonably expected to occur. 

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