People claiming Personal Independence Payments (PIP) or Adult Disability Payment (ADP in Scotland, have been urged to update the Department for Work and Pensions when they have any change in their condition. These benefits aren’t paid based on your exact diagnosis but rather how it affects you in your daily life and mobility.
Because of this, any changes in your health, even if it may seem like a minor new diagnosis or symptom to you, could drastically change your payments. On PIP, reporting these changes could potentially increase your benefits by nearly £700 a month.
For example, if you were originally approved for the basic rate of the mobility element of PIP this only paid you £28.70 per week, or a total of £114.80 per month according to the Daily Record. However, if your condition worsens to the point you are eligible for the enhanced rate of both the mobility and daily life elements of PIP, you’d be receiving £184.30 a week instead, or £737.20 a month.
However, people should be wary when reporting these changes as it also has the potential to reduce your payments or end your benefit entirely. This would happen if your condition changes in a way that you no longer need as much support.
Government guidance notes: “As the assessment principles consider the impact of a claimant’s condition on their ability to live independently and not the condition itself, claimants with the same condition may get different outcomes. The outcome is based on an independent assessment and all available evidence.”
When you experience a change of circumstances that could affect your benefit eligibility you need to report it to the DWP to ensure you’re getting the right amount of support. Knowingly avoiding updating the DWP could be considered benefit fraud in some circumstances.
Government guidance notes you’ll need to contact the PIP enquiry line on 0800 121 4433 to inform them of the following changes:
- You need more or less help with daily living tasks
- You need more or less help with mobility tasks
- Your health professional tells you your condition will last for a longer or shorter time than you reported before
- Your condition has worsened and you’re not expected to live more than 12 months
3.6 million people across the UK are currently claiming PIP but only 36% get the highest value from it. In Scotland, ADP has replaced all new claims for PIP and existing PIP claims in the country are due to be devolved into ADP. More information can be found on Gov.uk.