After you apply for Short-term Assistance

Social Security Scotland will send you a letter with their decision about your Short-term Assistance application.

If your Short-term Assistance application is successful

Social Security Scotland will start paying you Short-term Assistance. These payments will replace the reduction to your disability payment.

The letter will tell you:

• how much Short-term Assistance Social Security Scotland will pay you
• how they’ll make the payments to you
• when your payments will start and the period they’ll cover

You’ll be entitled to get Short-term Assistance payments from the date your re-determination or appeal request was accepted.

When your disability payment re-determination or appeal finishes

Your Short-term Assistance payments will stop when a decision is made about your disability payment re-determination or appeal.

You’ll not have to pay back any Short-term Assistance you're entitled to. It is not affected by the re-determination or appeal decision.

If your re-determination or appeal is successful, Social Security Scotland may owe you money. For example, if the new decision about your disability payment means you’re entitled to more than the amount you got for disability payment and Short-term Assistance.

Before paying you this, Social Security Scotland will subtract the amount of any Short-term Assistance they’ve already paid. This is because they paid you the Short-term Assistance to replace the reduction in your disability payment.

If your application is not successful

If your Short-term Assistance application is not successful, the letter will tell you why.

If you do not agree with the decision

If Social Security Scotland decides you cannot be paid Short-term Assistance, you can apply for a re-determination of that decision.

You can do this by calling Social Security Scotland free on 0800 182 2222 (Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm).

If you're a British Sign Language user, you can use the Contact Scotland service to contact Social Security Scotland.

If you’re hard of hearing, you can use the Text Relay Service: 18001 +0300 244 4000.