From next month, people with certain health conditions could be eligible to claim up to £172 a week from the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP).
Personal Independence Payment (PIP) is given to people over 16 if they have difficulty doing certain everyday tasks or getting around. You can get it if you're working or have savings as it is not means-tested.
PIP can help with extra living costs if you have a long-term physical or mental health condition or disability which causes difficulty doing certain everyday tasks or getting around. The amount you get depends on how severe your condition is, but it is well worth checking if you could qualify.
READ MORE: DWP urging people to claim £201 in extra cash each week
How much you get depends on how your condition affects you. Amounts will rise by 10.1% in April, in line with the uprating of state benefits, as reported by Birmingham Live.
There are standard and enhanced rates for the daily and mobility elements of the benefit. The lowest amount is £24.45 a week for just being awarded standard mobility (going up to £26.90 from April) and the highest is £156.90 a week for both enhanced rates combined, which will rise to £172.75 a week from April. The DWP says 35 per cent of people on PIP get the highest level of payment.
PIP is paid into people's accounts every four weeks so that's a rise from £627.60 to £691 a month as a maximum sum. Over a year, based on 52 weeks, that equates to £8,158 a year, rising to £8,931 after April 2023.
In addition, those on PIP will automatically qualify for the new Universal Credit 'health element' announced in the Chancellor's Budget. This top-up will replace Universal Credit's existing Limited Capability for Work and Work-Related Activity (LCWRA) amount, which currently pays £354.28 on top of the standard allowance (rising to £390.06 from April 2023). These reforms would come in by 2026 at the earliest.
The DWP has previously revealed the top 21 most common ailment categories these payments cover. The government department found the three most common were psychiatric issues, musculoskeletal disease and neurological disease.
The most common conditions are:
- Psychiatric disorders
- Musculoskeletal disease (general)
- Neurological disease
- Musculoskeletal disease (regional)
- Respiratory disease
- Cardiovascular disease
- Visual disease
- Endocrine disease
- Hearing disorders
- Gastrointestinal disease
- Genitourinary disease
- Skin disease
- Autoimmune disease (connective tissue disorders)
- Diseases of the liver, gallbladder, biliary tract
- Unknown or missing
- Infectious disease
- Malignant disease
- Haematological disease
- Metabolic disease
- Multisystem and extremes of age
- Diseases of the immune system
How to apply for PIP
To start a claim, call the PIP new claims line on 0800 917 2222 (Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm). You will need to provide the following information: contact details (such as your telephone number), date of birth, National Insurance number, bank or building society account number and sort code, your doctor or health worker's details, dates and addresses for any time spent in a care home or hospital, and dates and locations for any time you spent abroad for more than four weeks at a time.
A form is sent out for you to fill in and return within a month and you may be invited to an assessment. More information on claiming PIP can be found here
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