DWP details the mental health conditions that can get support from PIP benefit

The Department for Work and Pensions has detailed how you can provide financial support to those struggling with long-term health problems and disabilities.

Personal Independence Payment or PIP it was introduced in 2013 as the eventual replacement for Disability Living Allowance.

But can you also get PIP for mental health problems? Are they included in the scope of a disability benefit?

READ MORE: Long Covid now classed as PIP status where you can get up to £608 per month from DWP

According to the The latest figures from DWPthere are 2.8 million PIP claimants with just over one in three cases (35 percent) receiving the highest level of adjudication.

And those with mental health issues may qualify. The DWP lists them as psychiatric disorders.

What mental health conditions get PIP?

DWP Statistics show that 81 per cent of new applications and 88 per cent of Disability Living Allowance move-outs are registered with one of the five most common disability conditions.

These are:

1. psychiatric disorders
2. musculoskeletal disease (general)
3. musculoskeletal disease (regional)
4. neurological disease
5. respiratory disease

The two most commonly recorded disabling conditions for claims under the normal rules are psychiatric disorder (36 percent of claims) and musculoskeletal (general) disease (another 21 percent of claims).

There are 994,018 people in the UK receiving PIP for psychiatric disorders.

These include

• Mixed anxiety and depression disorders – 37,372 claimants

• Mood disorders – 11,346 claimants

• Stress – 3,897 claimants

• Anxiety – 3,758 claimants

But it’s also worth noting that when PIP cases come under review, people with psychiatric disorders are more likely to have all medical conditions have their payments reduced or voided.

The figures show that when a review is carried out, 42 percent of those who claim with a psychiatric disorder end up keeping the same payments, 18 percent receive more money, 12 percent receive less and the remaining 28 percent your benefit is stopped.

The majority of all new claimants (76 percent) receive PIP for two years or less before their case is reviewed. That includes 78 percent of people receiving PIP for a psychiatric disorder, the highest proportion to get this short-term benefit of all the conditions listed.

But the DWP explains that PIP is awarded for how an illness or disability affects your life, not the condition itself.

How to get PIP

You must be 16 years of age or older and expect your health problems to last at least 12 months after they start.

There are two parts to PIP:

• a part of daily life – if you need help with daily tasks
• a mobility part – if you need help getting around

Whether you get one or both parts and how much you get depends on how hard you find daily tasks and getting around.

part of daily life

You can get the daily living part of PIP if you need help with:

• eat, drink or prepare food
• wash, bathe and use the toilet
• dress and undress
• reading and communicating
• manage your medications or treatments
• make decisions about money
• socialize and be around other people

part of mobility

You can get the mobility part of PIP if you need help with:

• make a route and follow it
• physically moving
• leave your house

The DWP explains that you don’t have to have a physical disability to get the mobility part. You may also be eligible if you have difficulty moving due to a cognitive or mental health condition, such as anxiety.

How much is PIP?

As part of the 3.1 percent profit improvement for next year, PIP allocations will increase as of April 11, 2022. These are as follows:

component of daily life

Standard – increased from £60 per week to £61.85 per week

Improved – Increased from £89.60 per week to £92.40 per week

mobility component

Standard – increased from £23.70 per week to £24.45 per week

Improved – Increased from £62.55 per week to £64.50 per week

Although raises are quoted in weekly amounts, the PIP is credited to accounts every four weeks.

The most you can get is the upgraded rate for both components, which currently stands at £608.60 and rises to £627.60 from April.

Some people are only considered eligible for one component.

To start a PIP claim, call 0800 917 2222. You will need to provide 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
• name, address, and phone number of doctor or health care worker
• dates and addresses of any time spent in a nursing home or hospital
• dates of any time you have spent abroad for more than four weeks in a row and the countries you have visited

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