The case transfer process from Attendance Allowance to Pension Age Disability Payment (PADP)

People cannot ask for their benefits to be transferred (there is one exception for exported cases, see People who live in certain countries (Exported Benefits) section). Attendance Allowance cases are selected for transfer based on the postcode in DWP's client record. The timing of the transfer is by random selection, apart from some specific terminal illness cases (see Special Rules for Terminal Illness section).

A person does not need to make a new application if their case has been selected for transfer. Instead, the DWP passes the information used to make the person’s Attendance Allowance award to Social Security Scotland. This information forms the basis for the person’s PADP determination.

Once Social Security Scotland receives this information from DWP, they send a notice of intention to transfer to the person explaining all of the following (PADP regs, Sch 1, Part 3, Para 8):

• that their case has been selected for transfer
• that a determination establishing their entitlement to PADP will be made within the period of time specified in the notice
• that their entitlement to Attendance Allowance will end immediately before their PADP entitlement starts.

If, before the determination of their PADP entitlement is made, it is discovered that the case has been selected in error or the person moves out of Scotland, Social Security Scotland will send a further letter explaining that the transfer is being stopped (PADP regs, Sch 1, Part 3, Para 8(3) and 8(4)).

A person whose award is transferring will then receive a notice of their PADP determination that sets out (PADP regs, Sch 1, Part 3, Para 9; Social Security (Scotland) Act 2018, Sec 40):

• what their PADP entitlement is
• the reasons for the determination
• when their entitlement to PADP begins
• that their Attendance Allowance entitlement will end immediately before their PADP entitlement begins, so there is no break in entitlement
• when they should expect their first and subsequent payments
• their rights to request a re-determination or appeal.