Acceptable and unacceptable applications

The Social Security (Scotland) Act 2018 sets out that an application must be submitted both:

1. in the form described by Social Security Scotland
2. with the supporting information that is required (SS(Scotland) Act 2018 s.38 (1))

Once an application is submitted, an individual may be asked to provide further supporting information to enable a determination of entitlement to be made. Social Security Scotland can specify a time period in which the information must be provided. If sufficient information is not provided in the timeframe, the case manager can make a determination that the client does not meet the criteria.  (SS (Scotland) Act 2018 s.54 (1)and s.54 (2))

For Adult Disability Payment applicants who are currently in receipt of Child Disability Payment, case managers must check whether supporting information that has been submitted for Child Disability Payment is still relevant for the Adult Disability Payment application at hand. This applies to both:

• confirmation from a professional
• supporting information to establish the individual’s entitlement.

To establish whether one or both types of supporting information can be re-used from the individual’s Child Disability Payment award, the case manager should review the scenarios set out in the Relevant considerations when making a determination for an award review chapter.

In addition to the correct Adult Disability Payment application, Social Security Scotland will accept a number of other applications as long as they provide the minimum information required by SPM, as described above. This includes, but is not limited to, an application for another type of Scottish disability assistance, an application for Personal Independence. As the criteria differ between different forms of assistance such applications may not provide the details necessary for a determination to be made. Case Managers will likely have to obtain extensive supporting information in order to reach a decision.