Adult Disability Payment Supporting Information and Evidence Scotland

What Social Security Scotland Needs

Social Security Scotland says it needs one piece of professional supporting information to process an ADP application — but you can apply without any evidence at all and ask the agency to collect it on your behalf. This is a deliberate shift from the DWP PIP model, where claimants were expected to assemble their own evidence packs.

Supporting information doesn't need to prove your diagnosis or corroborate every detail of your form. It needs to broadly support your application — to confirm that you have a health condition and that it affects your daily life in the way you describe.

Types of Evidence That Work

Professional evidence:

• GP summary printout or letter
• Hospital consultant letters or clinic notes
• Occupational therapy or physiotherapy reports
• Community psychiatric nurse assessments
• Social work assessments or care plans
• Prescription lists (particularly useful for showing medication complexity)
• Community link worker statements

Non-professional evidence (also considered):

• Statements from unpaid carers — a partner, parent, or friend who helps you daily
• Letters from family members describing what they witness and what help they provide
• Statements from neighbours or other people in your wider support network

Social Security Scotland says it treats supporting information from professionals and from people in your wider support network equally. A detailed statement from a family member who helps you wash, dress, and prepare food every day can be as valuable as a consultant's letter — sometimes more so, because it describes functional impact in the home rather than clinical observations in a 15-minute appointment.

When You Don't Have Recent Medical Evidence

If you haven't seen your GP recently, or your condition is managed at home without regular medical contact, you can still apply and ask Social Security Scotland to collect supporting information for you.

Ask Social Security Scotland to collect it. You can authorise them to contact your GP, consultant, or other professionals directly. They'll write to the professional and, if needed, pay a standardised fee (£33.50) for a supporting statement. This means your GP doesn't need to do it for free, which removes a common barrier.

Provide carer or family statements. If a partner, parent, or friend helps you with daily activities, their written account of what they do and how often is evidence. Be specific: "I help my husband get out of the bath every evening because he cannot lift his legs over the side safely. On bad days — about three a week — I also help him get dressed and cut his food at dinner" is stronger than "I help with personal care."

Keep a daily living diary. Even a week or two of dated notes — what you managed, what you couldn't, what help you needed, how much pain or fatigue you experienced — gives the Case Manager a picture that medical records rarely capture.

What to Avoid

Don't send your entire medical history. Decades of clinic notes, irrelevant test results, and records for unrelated conditions can bury the relevant evidence and slow processing. Focus on documents from the past year or two that describe how your condition affects daily function now.

Don't send originals. Upload digital copies or post photocopies. If original documents are lost in the post, you can't get them back.

Don't wait until everything is perfect. It's better to submit Part 2 on time with some evidence than to miss the 8-week deadline trying to assemble a complete pack. You can send additional supporting information within 28 days of submitting Part 2, and Social Security Scotland can collect evidence on your behalf during processing.

What Happens If Evidence Is Missing

If a professional does not provide confirmation, Social Security Scotland should consider whether there is good cause for it to be missing. If no confirmation is available and there is no good cause, the Case Manager should invite you to a consultation. A missing GP letter does not automatically end your claim.

The Case Manager considers your Part 2 answers and any other relevant information available. Give concrete examples of how your condition affects you so your needs are clear.

Our ADP claim guide includes a supporting information tracker with prompts for each evidence type, template structures for carer statements, and a checklist to make sure you haven't missed anything that could strengthen your application.

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