New disability benefit eligibility 'tests' people should know about before starting a claim
04.06.2022 - 06:37
/ dailyrecord.co.uk
Adult Disability Payment has already replaced Personal Independence Payments (PIP) for new claimants, over 16 and under State Pension age, applying for financial support in Dundee, Perth and Kinross and the Western Isles.
The next pilot areas to open for applications from new claimants will be in Angus, North Lanarkshire and South Lanarkshire on June 20.
While eligibility criteria is similar to PIP, a disability benefit delivered by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), Social Security Scotland will deliver Adult Disability Payment and has published its Decision Making Guidance which includes details on the ‘backwards and forwards tests’ that new claimants will need to be aware of before submitting their application.
Adult Disability Payment is made up of the same two components as PIP - daily living and mobility.
To be eligible for PIP, you must have a health condition or disability where you:
To apply for Adult Disability Payment, new claimants must meet similar criteria, referred to as ‘backwards and forwards tests’.
The Social Security Scotland guidance states that an individual “must satisfy the required period condition for whichever rate of the component they are being considered for” - the backwards and forwards tests together make up this required period.
The backwards test is the amount of time the individual must have met the conditions of entitlement for a particular rate of a component of Adult Disability Payment.
The forwards test looks at the amount of time the individual is likely to meet the conditions of entitlement for a particular rate of a component of Adult Disability Payment.
However, there is no backwards or forwards test for people with a terminal illness.
The relevant date for a new