Musculoskeletal conditions are injuries and disorders that affect the human body’s movement or musculoskeletal system such as muscles, tendons, ligaments, nerves, discs and blood vessels.
Arthritis is a general term that refers to many of these different conditions. Some common musculoskeletal conditions include osteoarthritis, back pain, rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, osteoporosis, gout, polymyalgia rheumatica, lupus and ankylosing spondylitis.
If you are over 16 and under State Pension age, you may be able to claim Personal Independence Payment (PIP) to help with a musculoskeletal condition, and if your ability to work is limited due to your symptoms you could be eligible for ‘new style’ Employment and Support Allowance (ESA).
PIP is being replaced in Scotland by the Adult Disability Payment, which will follow the same eligibility criteria, but will take a more people-centred approach.
The first rollout begins on March 21 - find out more here.
PIP is a benefit delivered by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and helps cover the extra costs you may face if you need help with daily tasks or moving around.
The latest figures released by the DWP show that on January 31, 2022 there were 2.9 million people across the UK claiming support through PIP, with just over one in three claimants (35%) receiving the highest level of award.
Of that total, 305,279 Scots are now receiving financial support of between £24.45 and £156.90 each week, an increase of 8,088 from the previous figure of 297,213 in October, 2021.
The latest data also indicates a significant increase in the number of people claiming for musculoskeletal conditions over the last four months.
Overall, there are now 932,579 people across the UK claiming PIP for some form of musculoskeletal condition, which makes up 32.4% of the total number of claimants - currently 2,881,401.
Breakdown of PIP claimants for musculoskeletal conditions
- Scotland: 89,563
- England: 766,920
- Wales: 76,096
- Total: 932,579
This is the list of 87 musculoskeletal conditions being supported through PIP to help with either daily living, mobility needs or a combination of both components.
Musculoskeletal conditions - general
Osteoarthritis
- Osteoarthritis of Hip
- Osteoarthritis of Knee
- Osteoarthritis of other single joint
- Primary generalised Osteoarthritis
Chronic pain syndrome
- Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS)
- Fibromyalgia
- Pain syndromes - Chronic - Other / type not known
Inflammatory arthritis
- Ankylosing spondylitis
- Arthritis - Psoriatic
- Arthritis - Reactive
- Inflammatory arthritis - Other / type not known
- Juvenile chronic arthritis (Still's disease)
- Rheumatoid arthritis
Crystal deposition disorders
- Crystal deposition disorders - Other / type not known
- Gout
- Pseudogout
Osteonecrosis and osteochondritis
- Osteochondritis
- Osteonecrosis
Metabolic and endocrine disorders
- Osteomalacia
- Osteoporosis
- Other metabolic and endocrine disorders of musculoskeletal system
- Paget's disease
- Rickets
Genetic disorders, dysplasias and malformations
- Achondroplasia
- Epiphyseal dysplasia - multiple
- Genetic disorders, dysplasias and malformations - Other / type not known
- Hereditary multiple exostosis (diaphyseal aclasis)
- Hypermobility syndrome
- Marfan's syndrome
- Osteogenesis imperfecta
Benign tumours of bone
- Tumours of bone - benign
Fracture complications
- Compartment syndrome (Volkmann's ischaemia)
- Fracture complications - Other / type not known
- Sudek's atrophy
Other generalised musculoskeletal conditions
- Generalised musculoskeletal disease - Other / type not known
Musculoskeletal conditions - regional
Shoulder disorders
- Adhesive capsulitis (frozen shoulder)
- Rotator cuff disorder
- Shoulder disorders - Other / type not known
- Shoulder instability
Elbow disorders
- Elbow disorders - Other / type not known
- Golfers elbow (medial epicondylitis)
- Tennis elbow (lateral epicondylitis)
Wrist and hand disorders
- Carpal tunnel syndrome
- Dupuytrens contracture
- Tendon lesions
- Tenosynovitis
- Wrist and hand disorders - Other / type not known
Neck disorders
- Cervical disc lesion
- Cervical spondylosis
- Neck disorders - Other / type not known
- Whiplash injury
Non specific back pain
- Back pain - Non specific (mechanical)
Specific back pain
- Back pain - Specific - Other / type not known
- Kyphosis
- Lumbar disc lesion
- Lumbar spondylosis (OA spine)
- Schuermann's disease
- Scoliosis
- Spinal stenosis
- Spondylolisthesis
Hip disorders
- Dislocation of the hip - congenital
- Hip disorders - Other / type not known
- Perthes disease
- Slipped upper femoral epiphysis
Knee disorders
- Bursitis
- Chondromalacia patellae
- Knee disorders - Other / type not known
- Ligamentous instability of knee
- Meniscal lesions
- Osgood schlatters disease
- Osteochondritis dissecans
- Patellar dislocation - Recurrent
Ankle and foot disorders
- Ankle and foot disorders - Other / type not known
- Club foot (talipes)
- Fore foot pain (Metatarsalgia)
- Hallux valgus /rigidus
Amputations
- Amputation - Lower limb(s)
- Amputation - Upper limb(s)
- Amputations - Upper & Lower limb/s
Injuries/fracture/Dislocation
- Abdomen - Injuries/Fracture/Dislocation of
- Lower limb - Injuries/Fracture/Dislocation of
- Multiple - Injuries/Fracture/Dislocation
- Pelvis - Injuries/Fracture/Dislocation of
- Spine - Injuries/Fracture/Dislocation of
- Thorax - Injury/Fracture/Dislocation of
- Upper limb - Injury/Fracture/Dislocation of
Other regional musculoskeletal disease
- Musculoskeletal disease - Regional / Localised - Other / type not known
Who is eligible for PIP?
You do not need to have a carer or have someone helping you to qualify for PIP and you could receive between £24.45 and £156.90 every week - as PIP is paid every four weeks this amounts to between £97.80 and £627.60 every pay period.
PIP is not taxable or means-tested and you don’t need to have paid National Insurance contributions to get it.
You can also claim whether you’re in work or not.
It doesn’t matter if you have any savings or if you are receiving any other benefits. In fact an award for PIP can lead to higher levels of certain benefits being paid and also open the door to other benefits, such as Carer’s Allowance and a Council Tax Reduction.
Find out if you can claim PIP by looking at the criteria set out by the DWP below.
You do not need to have worked or paid National Insurance contributions to qualify for PIP, and it does not matter what your income is, if you have any savings or if you’re in or out of work.
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 daily living and mobility test
If you get or need help with any of the following because of your condition, you should consider applying for PIP:
preparing, cooking or eating food
managing your medication
washing, bathing or using the toilet
dressing and undressing
engaging and communicating with other people
reading and understanding written information
making decisions about money
planning a journey or following a route
moving around - outside the home
What is classified as ‘help’ for a PIP claim
You are classified as needing help to do an activity if you need a person or a device to:
Do it for you
Do it with you
Remind you to do it
Watch you do it to keep you safe
You may also be classified as needing help if you do an activity yourself but:
You are not safe
You cannot complete the task well enough
You cannot complete the task often
It takes you a long time
PIP test scoring criteria
The PIP scoring criteria awards points for a statement which applies to you for each activity
The DWP will decide which statement best fits your situation most of the time. You will get a set amount of points ranging from 0 -12 for each activity.
The total number of points you get for each group of activities will decide whether you are entitled to PIP, and how much money you will receive.
To get the standard rate daily living component, you need to score between 8 to 11 points in total for the daily living activities. You need 12 points to get the enhanced rate.
To get the standard rate mobility component, you need to score between 8 to 11 points in total for the mobility activities. You need 12 points to get the enhanced rate.
How is PIP paid?
PIP is usually paid every four weeks unless you are terminally ill, in which case it is paid every week.
PIP will be paid directly into your bank, building society or credit union account.
What are the PIP payment rates for 2022/23?
PIP is made up of two components - daily living and mobility.
Whether you get one or both of these and how much depends on how severely your condition affects you.
You could receive the following amounts per week depending on your circumstances:
Daily living
Standard rate - £61.85
Enhanced rate - £92.40
Mobility
Standard rate - £24.45
Enhanced rate - £64.50
How you are assessed
You will be assessed by an independent healthcare professional to help the DWP work out the level of help you need.
Face-to-face assessments will be offered alongside telephone and video based assessments. All assessments will follow strict public health guidelines and put the safety of the claimant first.
For people applying for Adult Disability Payment, there are several changes to the assessment process including the removal of face-to-face assessments - find out more here.
How do you make a claim for PIP?
You can make a new claim by contacting the DWP, you’ll find all the information you need to apply on the gov.uk website here.
Before you call, you will need:
your contact details, for example telephone number
your date of birth
your National Insurance number - this is on letters about tax, pensions and benefits
your bank or building society account number and sort code
your doctor or health worker’s name, address and telephone number
dates and addresses for any time you’ve spent abroad, in a care home or hospital
Once you have contacted the DWP, they will send you a document to complete which consists of 14 questions and a section for any additional information.
The questions focus on how your condition affects you - put as much relevant detail in as you can to help the assessor understand your physical and mental health needs.
If you have difficulty filling in your form or understanding the questions, contact your local council and ask for help or Citizens Advice Scotland.
We have a breakdown of all 14 questions here and you can take an anonymous self-test online at Benefits and Work to see how many points you would be awarded for each response.
For more information about PIP, visit GOV.UK here.
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