New disability benefit replacing PIP to be rolled out in three areas in Scotland today

dailyrecord.co.uk:

The Scottish Government's new disability payment for adults has opened for applications from people living in three pilot areas.The Adult Disability Payment (ADP) will be administered through Social Security Scotland and will replace the Personal Independence Payment (PIP), which is delivered by the UK Government.It will be open to people aged between 16 and state pension age, and who are disabled, have a long-term health condition or a terminal illness.Dundee City, Perth and Kinross and Western Isles council areas will take part in the initial pilot scheme and further council areas will be introduced in phases until the benefit is rolled out nationwide on August 29.People with ongoing awards of PIP and Disability Living Allowance do not need to make an application for the Adult Disability Payment, as their awards will transfer to the Scottish social security system automatically from this summer.Social Security Minister Ben Macpherson said: "Social security is a human right and none of us know when we might need it - it is a shared investment to help build a fairer society, together. "We are developing a system that is rooted in trust to make sure people can access the support that they are entitled to."Launching this first Adult Disability Payment pilot is a significant milestone, as we start to deliver our biggest and most complex benefit. "We are taking a positive and compassionate approach to delivering disability assistance, centred around our principles of dignity, fairness and respect."We know people have found applying for disability benefits stressful in the past.

That is why we have listened to their experiences and have designed our service to work for people, not against them."We are ensuring that accessing