Information on the time taken to process new applications for Adult Disability Payments: FOI release

Information requested

In relation to the time taken in processing new claims for Adult Disability Payment:

1. The percentage of new claims waiting for longer than 10 weeks.

2. The percentage of new claims waiting for longer than 13 weeks.

Response

Adult Disability Payment is currently in a pilot phase of accepting applications. We began accepting applications in an initial three local authority areas in March 2022, which included Dundee City, Perth and Kinross and the Western Isles, and then expanded into Angus, South and North Lanarkshire in June 2022. The benefit will be introduced to Fife, City of Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Moray, North Ayrshire,East Ayrshire and South Ayrshire from  25 July ahead of opening nationwide on 29 August.

Between 21 March 2022 (the date of first applications being received) and 22 June 2022 (the date of your request) we had received completed Part 1 and Part 2 applications for 1216 cases, which were then processed. Within applications received, those with a processing time greater than 10 weeks numbered 180, which is 14.8% of the total.

With public holidays taken into account, 13 weeks had not yet passed between the point of first application and the date of your request. As such there were no applications with a processing time greater than 13 weeks.

We are committed to giving people timely decisions and our priority is making the right decisions first time. Allowing adequate time to consider applications and gathering information on people’s behalf, which is a key point of difference to the Department for Work and Pensions system, can make processing take a bit longer. However, it is not necessarily longer than the overall process under the Department for Work and Pensions as clients would have had to have taken the time before to gather evidence themselves. This should also reduce the need for people to go through a re-determination or appeal. We continue to look for ways in which to improve the service we provide to clients – including providing timely decisions.

Further information about Adult Disability Payment can be found in our quarterly statistical publications available here:
https://www.socialsecurity.gov.scot/about/statistics/social-security-scotland-statistics-publications

About FOI

The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at http://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.