The Department for Work and Pensions has issued details on how it can provide support for people who are struggling with long-term health problems and disabilities.
Replacing the Disability Living Allowance, Personal Independence Payment (PIP) was introduced in 2013 and helps people with their living costs.
Unlike Universal Credit, the amount someone can receive with PIP is not impacted by savings or employment.
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As reported Birmingham Live, the DWP's latest figures, there are 2.8 million claimants on PIP with just over one in three cases (35 per cent) receiving the highest level of award of £608.
And those with mental health problems can indeed qualify. The DWP records them under psychiatric disorders.
Which mental health conditions get PIP?
DWP statistics show that 81 percent of new claims and 88 percent of those moving across from Disability Living Allowance to PIP are recorded as having one of five most common conditions.
These are:
- psychiatric disorders
- musculoskeletal disease (general)
- musculoskeletal disease (regional)
- neurological disease
- respiratory disease
The two most commonly recorded conditions for claims under normal rules are psychiatric disorder (36 percent of claims), and musculoskeletal disease (general) (a further 21 percent of claims).
There are 994,018 people in the UK getting PIP for psychiatric disorders.
These include
Mixed anxiety and depressive disorders - 37,372 claimants
Mood disorders - 11, 346 claimants
Stress - 3,897 claimants
Anxiety - 3,758 claimants
But it is also worth noting that PIP has a notoriously tough application process and means test.
When PIP cases are reviewed, those with psychiatric disorders are most likely of all the medical conditions to have their payments decreased or disallowed.
Figures show that when a review takes place, 42 percent of those claiming with a psychiatric disorder end up keeping the same payouts, 18 percent get more money but 12 percent get less and the remaining 28 percent see their benefit stopped.
The majority of all new claimants (76 per cent) are awarded PIP for two years or less before their case is reviewed. That includes 78 per cent of people who receive PIP for a psychiatric disorder - the highest proportion to get this short-term benefit award of all the listed conditions.
But the DWP explains PIP is given for the way an illness or disability affects your life rather than for the condition itself.
How to get PIP
You need to be 16 or over and expect your health challenges to last for at least 12 months after they started.
There are two parts to PIP:
- a daily living part - if you need help with everyday tasks
- a mobility part - if you need help with getting around
Whether you get one or both parts and how much you get depends on how difficult you find everyday tasks and getting around.
Daily living part
You might get the daily living part of PIP if you need help with:
- eating, drinking or preparing food
- washing, bathing and using the toilet
- dressing and undressing
- reading and communicating
- managing your medicines or treatments
- making decisions about money
- socialising and being around other people
Mobility part
You might get the mobility part of PIP if you need help with:
- working out a route and following it
- physically moving around
- leaving your home
The DWP states that you do not have to have a physical disability to get the mobility part. You might also be eligible if you have difficulty getting around because of a cognitive or mental health condition, like anxiety.
How much is PIP?
As part of the benefits uprating of 3.1 per cent for the next financial year, PIP allowances will increase from April 11, 2022. These are as follows:
Daily living component
Standard - increasing from £60 a week to £61.85 a week
Enhanced - increasing from £89.60 a week to £92.40 a week
Mobility component
Standard - increasing from £23.70 a week to £24.45 a week
Enhanced - increasing from £62.55 a week to £64.50 a week
Although the rises are listed in weekly amounts, PIP is paid into accounts every four weeks.
The maximum you can get is the enhanced rate of both components, currently totalling £608.60 and going up to £627.60 from April.
Some people are only deemed eligible for one component.
To start a claim for PIP, call 0800 917 2222. You’ll need to give the following information:
- contact details, such as phone number
- date of birth
- National Insurance number, if you have one
- bank or building society account number and sort code
- doctor or health worker’s name, address and telephone number
- dates and addresses for any time spent in a care home or hospital
- dates for any time you spent abroad for more than four weeks at a time, and the countries you visited
