Personal Independence Payments (PIP) can help with extra living costs, but many people are put off applying as they don’t think their condition will qualify.
However, it is essential to remember that it’s how the condition affects your ability to carry out daily tasks and move around outside your home that matters to the DWP decision makers - not the condition itself.
There are also a number of common conditions most commonly cited on successful PIP applications, the Daily Record reports.
READ MORE: Warning issued to millions of people who take paracetamol regularly
The DWP confirmed that during the period between July and October 2021, it had received 180,000 registrations for new claims - the highest quarterly level of new claim registrations since PIP began in 2013.
Some 25,000 changes of circumstances were also reported.
The figures also showed that new claims are currently taking 24 weeks to complete, from registration to a decision being made.
This means anyone considering making a new claim for PIP, should do so sooner rather than later.
The benefit is designed to help people living with a long-term illness, mental health condition or physical or learning disability, however, many people are put off claiming this essential benefit, wrongly assuming that they are not eligible.
A PIP claimant’s main disabling condition is recorded during their assessment in over 99 per cent of cases.
Of those claims that have had an assessment under normal DWP rules since July, 81 per cent of new claims and 88 per cent of Disability Living Allowance (DLA) reassessment claims are recorded as having one of the five most common disabling conditions.
These were:
Psychiatric disorders
This includes mixed anxiety, stress, depressive and mood disorders, OCD and cognitive disorders
Musculoskeletal disease (general)
This includes muscle or joint pain and arthritic conditions
Musculoskeletal disease (regional)
This includes neck, back, shoulders, elbow, wrists, hands, hip, knee and ankle pain
Neurological disease
This includes muscular dystrophy, epilepsy, headache, multiple sclerosis, neuropathy and other movement disorders
Respiratory disease
This includes asthma, diseases of the upper respiratory tract, pulmonary fibrosis and cystic fibrosis
It is important to note, these aren't the only conditions for which PIP can be claimed and a full list can be found here.
Who is eligible to claim PIP?
You don’t need to have worked or paid National Insurance contributions to qualify for PIP, and it doesn’t matter what your income is, if you have any savings or if you’re in or out of work - or on furlough.
You must also have a health condition or disability where you:
- have had difficulties with daily living or getting around (or both) for three months
- expect these difficulties to continue for at least nine months
The DWP will judge the eligibility of your PIP claim on a period of 12 months, looking back for three months and forward for nine months - they must consider if your illness changes over time.
You usually need to have lived in Scotland for at least two of the last three years and be in the country when you apply.
PIP components
PIP is made up of two components, a daily living component and a mobility component.
PIP payment rates until April 2022
Each component has two payment rates - a standard rate and an enhanced rate.
Claimants who are assessed as having:
- ‘Limited ability to carry out daily living activities’ (minimum score 8 points) are paid the standard rate of the daily living component of £60.00
- ‘ Severely limited ability to carry out daily living activities’ (minimum score 12 points) are paid the enhanced rate of the daily living component of 89.60
- ‘Limited ability to carry out mobility activities’ (minimum score 8 points) are paid the standard rate of the mobility component of £23.70
- ‘Severely limited ability to carry out mobility activities’ (minimum score 12 points) are paid the enhanced rate of the mobility component of £62.55
Receive newsletters with the latest news, sport and what's on updates from the Liverpool ECHO by signing up here
