Adult Disability Payment Redetermination Scotland

When You Disagree With the Decision

If your ADP application is refused or awarded fewer points than you expected, you have the right to request a redetermination — an internal review by a different team within Social Security Scotland. It's free, and you don't need a solicitor or representative.

Your Notice of Determination letter sets out exactly how many points you scored on each activity and the reasons for each decision. Read it carefully. Understanding where you lost points tells you what to focus on in your challenge.

The 42-Day Window

You have 42 calendar days from the day you're informed of your right to request a redetermination. If you miss the 42-day deadline, you can still request one up to one year later — but you'll need to show "good reason" for the delay, such as hospitalisation, severe illness, or a mental health crisis.

To request it, contact Social Security Scotland on 0800 182 2222, send the paper form, or request it online. Explain which parts of the decision you disagree with and, if you can, provide new evidence or explain what was missing from the original assessment.

What Happens During Redetermination

A separate, independent redetermination team reviews your entire case — the original application, all supporting information, the consultation report (if there was one), and any new evidence you've submitted. They're not just rubber-stamping the first decision.

Social Security Scotland has a strict 56-day statutory deadline to complete the redetermination. If they miss it, you automatically gain the right to appeal to the First-tier Tribunal for Scotland without waiting for their answer.

By 31 July 2026, 47% of completed first-decision redeterminations from new applicants were allowed, so requesting one is far from pointless.

Short-Term Assistance

If you previously had an ADP award that was reduced or stopped — following a review, not an initial refusal — and you request a redetermination or appeal, you can apply for Short-Term Assistance (STA). STA pays the difference between your old higher award and the new lower one throughout the challenge period.

The critical protection: you don't have to repay STA if your challenge is unsuccessful. It's designed to prevent financial hardship while you dispute the decision.

STA is not available for initial claim refusals where you never had an existing award. It applies only when an established award has been cut.

Appealing to the First-tier Tribunal

If the redetermination upholds the original decision (or you never received a redetermination within 56 days), you can appeal to the First-tier Tribunal for Scotland (Social Security Chamber). This is an independent judicial body — not part of Social Security Scotland.

Appeals must be lodged on form SOC-APP1 within 31 days of being informed of the redetermination decision. Don't use DWP appeal forms (like SSCS1) — they're legally invalid for Scottish ADP challenges.

The tribunal hears your case fresh. You can attend in person, bring a representative, and submit additional evidence. You can also get help from Citizens Advice Scotland and Advocacy.scot when challenging a decision.

Strengthening Your Challenge

The most effective redetermination requests do three things:

Point to specific activities. Rather than a general "I disagree," identify which activities were scored too low and explain why. If you scored 0 on Activity 9 (engaging with people) but have severe social anxiety, explain what the Case Manager missed.

Submit new evidence. A supporting letter from a carer, an updated GP summary, or a specialist report that wasn't available during the original assessment can change the outcome.

Reference the reliability criteria. If the original decision scored you as "able" on an activity but you can't do it safely, repeatedly, to an acceptable standard, or within a reasonable time (Regulation 7), explain which criterion fails and what happens when you attempt the activity.

Our ADP claim guide includes a decision-audit worksheet that walks you through your scoring letter activity by activity — helping you identify where points were lost and how to build a targeted challenge.

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