People whose coronavirus symptoms last weeks or months after the infection has gone could receive Personal Independence Payment (PIP).
Those suffering from post-COVID-19 syndrome or "long COVID" are now eligible for DWP support.
While most people feel better in a few days or weeks after contracting coronavirus, others have symptoms that last longer.
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Even people who had mild symptoms at first can still have long-term problems.
With this in mind, the DWP has added 'long COVID' to the list of medical issues that are awarded PIP.
The payment - currently up to £608 a month - is for those with a long-term health condition or disability that affects their ability to carry out everyday tasks or move around, reports BirminghamLive.
DWP documents say that long Covid has been recognised by officials since March 2021, a year after the pandemic first hit the UK.
Covid-related medical cases prior to that could still have been awarded PIP but their claim would have been recorded under the symptoms it caused, such as respiratory difficulties, rather than being listed as coronavirus itself.
The notes attached to statistics for PIP say: "A change has been made to include the category 'Coronavirus COVID-19' in all low-level disability breakdowns in all published series which offer this level of detail.
"This reflects an operational change made in March 2021 to include this code on the PIP Computer System. Due to the nature of the qualifying period for PIP claims, these cases will all be 'long COVID' or 'post-COVID syndrome' cases rather than initial COVID-19 infections.
"Any individuals with long COVID-19 as their primary reason for claiming PIP prior to March 2021 will not be classified as 'Coronavirus COVID-19.' These cases will remain classified according to the main disabling condition identified at the time (for example, respiratory illness, fatigue)."
The most recent figures show there are currently 315 people claiming PIP for whom long Covid is cited as their main disabling condition.
Common long COVID symptoms include:
- extreme tiredness (fatigue)
- shortness of breath
- chest pain or tightness
- problems with memory and concentration ("brain fog")
- difficulty sleeping (insomnia)
- heart palpitations
- dizziness
- pins and needles
- joint pain
- depression and anxiety
- tinnitus, earaches
- feeling sick, diarrhoea, stomach aches, loss of appetite
- a high temperature, cough, headaches, sore throat, changes to sense of smell or taste
- rashes
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