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Daily Record

Lifestyle

Linda Howard

Claim PIP for 87 muscle or joint conditions and you could get up to £691 each month

DWP Disease Arthritis Disability Osteoarthritis Scotland

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).

New statistics from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) show that by the end of January 2023, there were more than 3.25 million people across Great Britain claiming PIP.

Number of PIP claimants (January 2023)

Scotland: 319,336 (does not include case transfer or new claims of Adult Disability Payment)
England: 2,700,992
Wales: 232,485
Abroad: 2,147
Total: 3,255,158

PIP is gradually being replaced in Scotland by the devolved benefit, Adult Disability Payment (ADP), which rolled out nationwide to new claimants at the end of August after a phased rollout which began in March. At the end of October 2022, some 3,470 people were in receipt of ADP - 3,135 were new applicants and 335 were people who had their PIP award transferred from DWP.

From April 10, the current weekly rates will rise by 10.1 per cent. This means a successful claim for PIP or ADP will be wroth between £26.90 and £172.75 each week in additional financial support and as the benefit is paid every four weeks, this amounts to between £107.60 and £691.

PIP claimants with musculoskeletal conditions (January 2023)

The latest data also shows that over one million people are now receiving support through PIP for Musculoskeletal conditions.

Scotland: 94,445 (does not include case transfer or new claims of Adult Disability Payment)
England: 858,708
Wales: 83,754
Total: 1,036,908

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 or ADP?

You do not need to have a carer or have someone helping you to qualify for PIP or ADP and you could receive between £24.45 and £156.90 every week - as PIP and ADP are both paid every four weeks this amounts to between £97.80 and £627.60 every pay period.

The benefits are not taxable or means-tested and you don’t need to have paid National Insurance contributions to get either of them.

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 or ADP 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. Eligibility for ADP follows similar guidelines, the differences between the benefits is most noticeable at the assessment stage.

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

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.

Current PIP and ADP payment rates

As mentioned earlier, payment rates are rising from April 10.

The current processing time for PIP is 14 weeks, the current processing time for ADP is between six and 16 weeks. This means that even if you make a claim today, and it is backdated to the point of your claim, you will receive a combination of the old and new payment rates.

PIP and ADP are 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 Component

Enhanced: £101.75 (from £92.40)
Standard: £68.10 (from £61.85)

Mobility Component

Enhanced: £71.00 (from £64.50)
Standard: £26.90 (from £24.45)

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 to 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

How to make a claim for ADP

People can apply for Adult Disability Payment online, over the phone, by post or in-person. To find out more or apply, visit the dedicated pages on mygov.scot here or call Social Security Scotland on 0800 182 2222.

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