You could get up to £9K in benefits if you have one of these 20 medical conditions, are you eligible?

The Government has put in place several benefits for those who struggle, whether you are a pensioner or have a disability, you could be entitled to extra help. As per Birmingham Live, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has found that more and more people are claiming Personal Independence Payment (PIP).

Indeed, according to the DWP’s latest statistics, the number of people receiving PIP has risen to 3.4 million across the UK, with Birmingham having the highest number of claimants, with 76,000 people on PIP. In 2023, 3,437,047 people were claiming PIP, which is 230,000 more than the year before.

What is PIP?

As per Birmingham Live, Personal Independence Payment (PIP) was first introduced in 2013. The goal of PIP is to help those with medical conditions.

Claiming PIP isn’t defined by having certain medical conditions, but by how a person’s condition or conditions affect their daily lives. As a result, an assessment is done, which awards points for a person’s ability to perform specific daily tasks such as cooking, bathing and travelling.

The average wait time from when you first register to getting a decision is around 13 weeks, which includes having the assessment.

How much can you get on PIP?

PIP offers two payments the claimant can either get one of the two or both depending on their situation:

Daily living part

• Standard weekly rate - £68.10, rising to £72.65 a week from April 8
• Enhanced weekly rate - £101.75, rising to £108.55 a week from April 8

Or/and

Mobility part

• Standard weekly rate - £26.90, rising to £28.70 a week from April 8
• Enhanced weekly rate - £71, rising to £75.75 a week from April 8

If you receive PIP payments, you will receive them in your account every 4 weeks, amounting to £691 a month, but this will rise to £737.20 from April. This means that those claiming PIP will receive £8,983, rising to £9,583 a year from April.

These conditions are the most common for PIP

According to Birmingham Live, the following conditions are the most common in those who claim PIP, as per the figures from the DWP from October 2023.

Haematological Disease

Number of claimants: 8,134

Includes: anaemia, sickle cell anaemia, thalassaemia, haemophilia

Infectious disease

Number of claimants: 12,841

Includes: Coronavirus/Covid 19, hepatitis, tuberculosis, malaria, HIV/Aids

Malignant disease

Number of claimants: 107,226

Includes: all cancers including Hodgkin's lymphoma, leukaemia, melanoma

Metabolic disease

Number of claimants: 95,023

Includes: hyperlipidaemia, amyloidosis, porphyria, obesity

Psychiatric disorders

Number of claimants: 1,288,379

Includes: anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, agoraphobia, learning disorders (including dyslexia and dyspraxia), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), bipolar affective disorder, schizophrenia, dementia, anorexia, bulimia, learning disabilities (such as Down's syndrome), autistic spectrum disorders (including autism, Asperger syndrome, Retts disorder), ADHD/ADD

Neurological disease

Number of claimants: 430,576

Includes: stroke, epilepsy, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, motor neurone disease, cerebral palsy, spina bifida, muscular dystrophy

Visual disease

Number of claimants: 58,901

Includes: scleritis, glaucoma, cataracts, macular degeneration, retinal detachment, tunnel vision

Hearing disorders

Number of claimants: 36,456

Includes: deafness, otosclerosis, labyrinthitis, mastoiditis, Meniere's disease

Cardiovascular disease

Number of claimants: 90,218

Includes: aneurysm, tachycardia, cardiomyopathy, heart transplant, angina, pericarditis, deep vein thrombosis, Raynaud's disease

Gastrointestinal disease

Number of claimants: 31,837

Includes: hiatus hernia, gastritis, coeliac disease, Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)

Diseases of the liver, gallbladder, biliary tract

Number of claimants: 12,915

Includes: hepatitis, cirrhosis, peritonitis, pancreatitis, haemochromatosis

Skin disease

Number of claimants: 22,621

Includes: cellulitis, impetigo, eczema, psoriasis, urticaria, acne, lymphoedema

Musculoskeletal disease (general)

Number of claimants: 682,438

Includes: arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, ankylosing spondylitis, gout, osteoporosis, rickets

Musculoskeletal disease (regional)

Number of claimants: 404,251

Includes: scoliosis, tenosynovitis, golfer's elbow (medial epicondylitis), tennis elbow (lateral epicondylitis), carpal tunnel syndrome, back pain, bursitis, amputation

Autoimmune disease (connective tissue disorders)

Number of claimants: 18,876

Includes: systemic lupus erythematosus, systemic sclerosis (scleroderma), vasculitis, Sjogren's syndrome

Genitourinary disease

Number of claimants: 26,658

Includes: renal failure, endometriosis, fibroids, nephritis, incontinence, ovarian cyst, pelvic inflammatory disease (PID)

Endocrine disease

Number of claimants: 46,903

Includes: diabetes, goitre, hyperthyroidism, Addison's disease

Respiratory disease

Number of claimants: 140,088

Includes: cystic fibrosis, asthma, pneumonia, asbestosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), chronic bronchitis/emphysema

Multisystem and extremes of age

Number of claimants: 1,439

Includes: chromosomal syndrome, complications of prematurity, old age

Diseases of the immune system

Number of claimants: 1,181

Includes: allergy, food intolerance, angioedema, hypersensitivity disease

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Sources used:

Birmingham Live: ‘DWP names 20 top medical conditions paying up to £9k in PIP disability benefits'