Identifying possible eligibility
78.Section 53 places a duty on the Scottish Ministers, when making a determination of entitlement to assistance under section 37 or 43, to alert an individual if, in the process of making the determination, they identify that the individual may be eligible for other assistance under Part 2. For example, a person applying for early years assistance might mention that they have a difficulty communicating, which might suggest the person may also be eligible for disability assistance. Or the application for early years assistance in respect of one event (e.g. the birth of a child) may disclose that the applicant is, or is about to become, eligible for further early years assistance in respect of another event (e.g. the applicant’s eldest child has recently reached school age). In such situations, Ministers must either:
tell the person about the other assistance that may be available to the person and how to apply for it, or
if regulations allow the Ministers to determine the person’s entitlement to the other type of assistance without an application (see paragraphs 52 to 54 above), Ministers may ask the person if they wish Ministers to proceed to make a determination of entitlement to that other type of assistance without an application.
