The World Health Organisation recognises World Mental Health Day on October 10 every year. The annual event is dedicated to giving everyone in the UK the opportunity to talk openly about mental health in the hopes of breaking down stigma and barriers to support, which includes accessing benefits.
Many people may not be aware that earlier this year the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) announced significant changes to its guidance for health professionals carrying out Personal Independence Payment (PIP) assessments across the UK.
The updated guidelines published on GOV.UK include details on improved guidance for assessors on the significance of whether or not a claimant with a mental health condition is receiving medication. Assessors may incorrectly interpret the fact that a claimant with, for example depression, is not receiving any medication as evidence that their condition has very little effect on their daily living or mobility needs.
The updated guidance now points out that the severity of a mental health condition “does not necessarily correspond with the type or dosage of medication that the claimant is receiving”.
The guidance highlights that factors such as side effects, problems complying with a medication regime or the medication not being effective for that individual may all result in someone with a severe condition not receiving medication.
It goes on to say that assessors should take into account the use of treatments such as psychological therapies instead of medication.
The change could mean that more people living with a 'hidden condition' such as stress, anxiety or depression, may now be eligible for PIP.
It's also worth noting that people living in Scotland can no longer make a new claim for PIP and should instead apply for the devolved benefit, Adult Disability Payment (ADP). This is similar in structure, eligibility and payment rates to PIP, but offers a more 'people-centric' approach to the application process - find out more here.
If you have a mental health condition, whether that's something recently diagnosed following 18 months of lockdown, or an underlying condition now coming to light, it's important to understands there is financial support available and why now may be the best time to think about claiming PIP or ADP.
The current application processing time for PIP is 20 weeks, no information is currently available for ADP processing times.
Claiming PIP for a mental health condition
The latest figures from the DWP show that at the end of July, 2022 there were more than three million people across the UK claiming support through PIP, an increase of more than 52,000 since April. Just over one in three claimants (35%) are receiving the highest level of award.
Of the overall total, 322,387 people living in Scotland are now receiving financial support of between £24.45 and £156.90 each week (2.7m in England and Wales). This means an additional 8,767 people in Scotland with a long-term illness, disability, mental or physical health condition are getting regular payments of between £97.80 and £627.60 every four weeks.
Of the overall total, there are more than one million people across Scotland, England and Wales claiming PIP for a psychiatric disorder, including 115,878 Scots.
The list of conditions the term 'mental health' covers is long and includes:
Mixed anxiety and depressive disorders
Mood disorders
Stress
Anxiety
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Agoraphobia
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
Panic disorders
You may be eligible for PIP, and should consider making a claim to the DWP, if you have daily living needs because of a mental health condition.
Find out if you can claim PIP as a result of an ongoing mental health condition by looking at the criteria set out by the DWP below.
Who is eligible for 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 evaluate the eligibility of your PIP claim over 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 the UK for at least two of the last three years and be in the country when you apply.
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
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 aren’t safe
You can’t complete the task well enough
You can’t 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 points 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 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 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.
PIP payment rates 2022/23
PIP is made up of two components - daily living and mobility - Adult Disability Payment is paid at the same rate.
Whether you get one or both of these and how much depends on how severely your condition affects you.
You can get 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.
You may be invited to attend a face-to-face, telephone or video call assessment.
In Scotland, people applying for ADP will only be invited to a face-to-face assessment if it will be beneficial to the claimant.
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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