Britons living with a variety of health conditions, including arthritis, could be able to claim as much as £187 per week in Government support. Personal Independence Payment (PIP) is a benefit that can help with extra living costs if you have both a long-term physical or mental health condition or disability, and difficulty doing certain everyday tasks or getting around because of your condition.
You can qualify for PIP if you’re 16 or over, have a long-term physical or mental health condition or disability, have difficulty doing certain everyday tasks or getting around, and you expect the difficulties to last for at least 12 months from when they started. It’s possible to be approved for the benefit even if you’re working, have savings or are in receipt of most other benefits.
DWP data reveals a wide range of conditions have been associated with approved PIP claims, including those that fall under the category of musculoskeletal disease, like arthritis, which more than 10 million adults, young people and children live with in the UK.
Others conditions that have been awarded PIP may fall under other categories such as neurological disease, or respiratory disease, for example.
There isn’t an exhaustive list of what would make someone eligible, and any condition theoretically lead to an award, provided it can be shown that it meets the criteria of affecting your daily life or mobility.
PIP is approved based on a discretionary assessment to determine if a condition affects your daily living, or daily mobility. This is often based on a report written by a health professional.
PIP comes in two parts, the daily living component and the mobility component, both of which have a lower and a higher weekly rate, depending on the severity of your condition.
Daily living starts at £73.90 for the lower rate, rising to £110.40 for the highest, while mobility is £29.20 for the lower rate, rising to £77.05 for highest.
It means you could receive as much as £187.45 if approved for the higher element of both components.
Applicants might get the daily living part of PIP if they need assistance with:
- preparing food
- eating and drinking
- managing your medicines or treatments
- washing and bathing
- using the toilet
- dressing and undressing
- reading
- managing your money
- socialising and being around other people
- talking, listening and understanding
Applicants might get the mobility part of PIP if they need help with:
- working out a route and following it
- physically moving around
- leaving your home
Those who are nearing the end of life (for example, because of a life-limiting illness), will automatically get the daily living part, with the mobility component dependent on the person’s needs.
Other eligibility rules apply, such as the fact that you usually need to be below the State Pension age to make a new claim. You can find the full eligibility rules and how to apply on the Government website.
