Citizens Advice provides recommendations for disability assistance

The Scottish government is planning to replace the current disability benefits program with a new program. The Citizens Advice, Scotland (CAS) is a charity which has helped 106,000 citizens get help in 2017-2018. It has been asked by the government to review the assistance program for disabled and offer suggestions for improvement.

One of the main suggestions was reducing the number of face to face interactions for evaluation of disability, since this was cause stress to the disabled. People whose condition is not likely to change should not face reassessment. For mobility assistance the distance should be changed from twenty metres to fifty metres.

Additionally the government should respond to any citizen who challenges their decisions within 28 days, of the re-determination being made. The appeal for revision and the re-determination should appear to be a single process for the disabled person.

The method of assessment and criteria for determining disability should be reviewed continuously. Citizens above the pension age should get additional mobility support.

(Source: scottishhousingnews.com)