Scottish pensioners with ongoing health issues could be due up to £110 every week
Pensioners in Scotland are being urged to contact a charity for help claiming a new disability benefit, only available to people over 66 living north of the border. Pension Age Disability Payment (PADP) is administered and delivered by Social Security Scotland and replaces all new claims for Attendance Allowance.
Existing Attendance Allowance claimants will continue to receive payments of up to £441.60 every four-week payment period from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) until their award transfers to the devolved IT system before the end of this year.
National advice agency Advice Direct Scotland said households should not be concerned by the switch from Attendance Allowance to PADP as there will be no break in payments of either £75.90 or £110.40 each week. However, any changes in circumstances should continue to be reported to DWP until the migration has been completed.
The charity, which handles more than 900,000 inquiries a year, can help people of State Pension age with a disability, long-term illness or health condition, make a new claim for PADP or answer queries on the move from Attendance Allowance.
Rebecca Fagan, benefit and welfare information officer at Advice Direct Scotland, said: 'This is essentially a rebranding of an existing benefit, in this case, Attendance Allowance. While the name and handling are changing, the support remains the same.
'We understand that these changes can cause concern for some people who fear they may lose out. It's crucial that older people who are disabled, terminally ill, or have care needs continue to receive the financial support necessary to maintain their well-being, safety, and dignity.
'The Pension Age Disability Payment will be a vital source of assistance for those with long-term health conditions. With the rising cost of living and increasing bills, it's more important than ever that older people access all available financial aid.
'If you're uncertain about your eligibility or need help with an application, our team at advice.scot is here to offer free, confidential support.'
Pension Age Disability Payment is available to people of State Pension age who need help with personal care or supervision to stay safe. It is also available to pensioners who are terminally ill.
It is the latest benefit to be managed by the Scottish Government through Social Security Scotland. Scots can check their eligibility and apply for the Pension Age Disability Payment on the mygov.scot website here.
The advice.scot team can be reached at 0808 800 9060, Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm, or through their website at www.advice.scot.
Advice Direct Scotland also provides an online benefits calculator to help people assess their entitlement to both devolved and reserved benefits. You can check for unclaimed benefits or discounts here.
New figures from Social Security Scotland show there were 1,875 people over 66 now receiving Pension Age Disability Payments.
People of State Pension age with a disability, long-term illness or health condition could be eligible for the lower rate of £73.90 if they need help during the day or at night, or the higher rate of £110.40, if they need help during the day and at night, or if they are terminally ill.
For anyone thinking about making a new claim, the latest data indicates the average processing time - from point of application to decision award letter - is currently six working days. For those applying with a terminal illness it is one working day.
This means people submitting a new claim this weekend could receive a letter or an email at the start of next month. However, it's important to be aware that complex cases may take longer and as awareness about the new benefit grows, that timeframe will undoubtedly increase.
Insights from Social Security Scotland also shows the most common age of claimants is currently over 75. It also reveals that of the 2,575 applications processed - with a decision made by April 30 - 77 per cent were authorised, 11 per cent were denied and 11 per cent were withdrawn.
Most successful applicants received the higher rate.
Of all authorised applications, 79 per cent were awarded the higher level of 110.40 per week and 21 per cent were awarded the lower level of £73.90 over the period to 30 April 2025.
Health conditions supported by Attendance Allowance and PADP
The conditions listed below are sourced from information recorded on the DWP's Attendance Allowance computer system. PADP also supports people with these conditions.
It's important to note this list is not a checklist for claiming Attendance Allowance or PADP, it is intended to help people understand what type of conditions are being supported. However, if you need extra support during the day or night due to a long-term illness, disability or health condition, you should check out the official eligibility guidance for Attendance Allowance on the GOV.UK website here.
Main health conditions providing support to older people across Great Britain
Arthritis
Spondylosis
Back Pain
Disease Of The Muscles, Bones or Joints
Trauma to Limbs
Visual Disorders and Diseases
Hearing Disorders
Heart Disease
Respiratory Disorders and Diseases
Asthma
Cystic Fibrosis
Cerebrovascular Disease
Peripheral vascular Disease
Epilepsy
Neurological Diseases
Multiple Sclerosis
Parkinsons Disease
Motor Neurone Disease
Chronic Pain Syndromes
Diabetes Mellitus
Metabolic Disease
Traumatic Paraplegia/Tetraplegia
Major Trauma Other than Traumatic Paraplegia/Tetraplegia
Learning Difficulties
Psychosis
Psychoneurosis
Personality Disorder
Dementia
Behavioural Disorder
Alcohol and Drug Abuse
Hyperkinetic Syndrome
Renal Disorders
Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Bowel and Stomach Disease
Blood Disorders
Haemophilia
Multi System Disorders
Multiple Allergy Syndrome
Skin Disease
Malignant Disease
Severely Mentally impaired
Double Amputee
Deaf/Blind
Haemodialysis
Frailty
Total Parenteral Nutrition
AIDS
Infectious diseases: Viral disease - Coronavirus covid-19
The Scottish Government said PADP has been designed with the help of people who will be eligible for the benefit and those who support them. Improvements include a streamlined process for people to nominate a third party representative who can support them to communicate with Social Security Scotland.
A fast-track process will be put in place for applicants diagnosed with a terminal illness. As already mentioned, this takes just one working day on average to process.
Eligibility for Pension Age Disability Payment
Guidance on mygov.scot provides full details on who can claim, how to claim, additional help available, what happens after a claim is submitted and extra support for successful claimants. Find out more here.
You can apply for Pension Age Disability Payment if you have both:
Reached State Pension age (66)
Had care needs during the day or night for 6 months or more because of a disability or health condition
You can still apply if:
You have not had care needs for 6 months or more - your award will begin 6 months from when your care needs started if your application is successful
You are waiting for, or do not have, a diagnosis
You have a terminal illness - there is a separate fast-track application process if you're terminally ill
It's important to be aware you cannot get Pension Age Disability Payment and Attendance Allowance at the same time. Existing claimants will automatically move to Pension Age Disability Payment - Social Security Scotland will do this and you will not have to do anything.
If you get Disability Living Allowance (DLA), you do not need to do anything. Your benefit will move to Social Security Scotland.
Payment rates for Pension Age Disability Payment
Social Security Scotland will provide Pension Age Disability Payment at the same weekly rate as Attendance Allowance. It is also currently doing this for the devolved Child Disability Payment and Adult Disability Payment.
The weekly payment rates for Attendance Allowance are:
Lower rate - £73.90
Higher rate - £110.40
How do I apply for the Pension Age Disability Payment?
You can only apply for the new disability assistance benefit if it has opened in your area. You can check on the dedicated pages on mygov.scot here.
Anyone over State Pension age with a disability that means they need assistance with looking after themselves, or supervision to keep them safe, should continue to apply for Attendance Allowance through the DWP.
Get support making a claim from an independent advocate
Help is also available from the independent advocacy service VoiceAbility, which is funded by the Scottish Government, to help disabled people applying for devolved benefits.
It provides a free, nationwide advocacy service supporting disabled people to access Social Security Scotland benefits.
If you need an advocate, you should:
contact Social Security Scotland for free on 0800 182 2222
ask them to refer you to the Independent Advocacy Service
Full contact details can be found here.
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