Adult Disability Payment Review: consultation

The rules which decide whether someone is entitled to Adult Disability Payment are called the eligibility criteria.

Adult Disability Payment is made up of two parts, called components: a daily living component and a mobility component. This consultation does not ask any questions about the mobility part. 

For the daily living part, a Social Security Scotland case manager looks at a person’s ability to complete ten different activities.

Each activity has a series of statements (called descriptors), with a score between zero and 12. A case manager in Social Security Scotland decides which statement applies to the person.

Which statement the case manager selects depends on several factors but the case manager must choose only one statement. This applies to people with both fluctuating and stable conditions and is sometimes known as the ‘50% rule.’

If only one statement applies more than 50% of the time, then the case manager will choose that statement.

If two or more statements apply more than 50% of the time a person carries out an activity, then the case manager will choose the statement that scores the highest number of points.

If no statement applies on more than 50% of the time, but two of the statements added together would amount to more than 50%, the case manager will choose either:

• the statement that applies for the higher or highest amount of time
• if both statements apply for the same amount of time, the statement that scores the highest number of points.

Case managers must consider whether a person can reliably complete an activity.

Reliably means whether a person can carry out an activity:

• safely
• to an acceptable standard
• repeatedly
• within a reasonable time period.

Case managers also consider a person’s ability to carry out an activity using an aid or appliance that they:

• normally use
• could reasonably be expected to use.