Revealed - the hardest and easiest conditions to claim PIP for

Details: Published: 22 February 2023

Benefits and Work has compiled a list of over 500 conditions arranged in order of how hard it is to get an award of PIP, using the DWP’s own Stat-Xplore database.

The overall average success rate for PIP claims is 52%.

But this can vary greatly depending on the condition.

So, for example, awards for continence related conditions tend to fall below the average:

Urge incontinence 13.7%
Stress incontinence 15.7%
Faecal soiling (encopresis) 23.8%
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) 26.1%

Awards for arthritis, on the other hand, are above the average:

Osteoarthritis of other single joint 56.5%
Osteoarthritis of Knee 64.2%
Osteoarthritis of Hip 73.8%
Primary generalised Osteoarthritis 74.0%
Rheumatoid arthritis 74.7%

Awards relating to mental health vary widely:

Anxiety disorders - Other / type not known 38.8%
Generalised anxiety disorder 42.7%
Anxiety and depressive disorders – mixed 49.6%
Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) 58.2%
Bipolar affective disorder 61.3%
Schizophrenia 69.7%

Some conditions are extremely likely to attract an award:

Dementia 94.1%
Motor neurone disease 97.5%
Down’s syndrome 99.6%
Creutzfeldt - Jacob disease (CJD) 100%

But on its own this doesn’t tell the whole tale. For example, it doesn’t tell us what percentage of claimants got the enhanced rate of one or both components.

We can drill down further into DWP statistics to get these details. But it would be an enormous task to produce this information for every condition.

And it still wouldn’t tell us whether claimants are more or less likely to get the award that they think is correct.

So, we’d like to hear from readers about which conditions you think are the hardest to make a PIP claim for.

You may have experience of claiming for more than one condition. You may have helped people with different conditions who have put in a claim. Or you may consider your condition to be hard to claim for because it is treated with scepticism by some in the health professions.

Based on your feedback, we will produce more information about award rates for specific conditions.

Members can download the full list of over 500 conditions and percentage success rates in a pdf file entitled ‘Success rates for PIP claims by condition’ from the ‘Claims’ section of the PIP guides page.

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Kaz · 1 years ago
Hi, I was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumour in 2018. During radiotherapy I was assessed by a ''nurse''. Whom I thought I could trust. Instead, the report she wrote state I was not losing my sight. I have a brain tumour that sits on the optical nerve and main artery, without radiotherapy to shrink the tumour, I would lose my sight in both eyes and face death! The assessor even used the fact that my daughter turned up to sit with me during the assessment by stating. I was ok and recognised her arriving. This undermined my Oncologist, GP and Eye Consultants findings. I was scored just enough point to get basic PIP. 2023 I am facing a Tribunal as they still fail to accept the tumour, I also suffer from PTSD, Osteoarthritis and Fibromyalgia. My depression and anxiety has been off the scale as I wait for the Tribunal, now 6 months from my appeal notice.
It appears Brain tumours, Fibromyalgia a severely painful, tiring disorder, along with . PTSD and severe anxiety and depression are not on PIP assessors radar as serious enough to accept.
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  Porridge · 1 years ago
  
  @Kaz In my experience, tribunals usually can see past what a nurse thinks to the truth. It’s sad but true that a lot of the time PIP and ESA claimants do have to apply for a tribunal in order to receive the award that they should have been granted in the fist place.
  
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  Jackie · 1 years ago
  
  @Kaz Beware of the nice assessors in my experience they are normally the worse for rejecting your claim I have had some nice ones when I claimed esa as well but they have always given me 0 points so I have had to go to tribunal every time for esa and pip and I am always awarded it then !
  
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Porridge · 1 years ago
I have been receiving PIP for more than one (lifelong) physical disability but I have now been diagnosed as autistic and (very far along that spectrum too). I find it hard to cope with life because I am autistic and I have been protected and sheltered to some extent within the welfare benefits system because since I have been given enough to buy food and shelter Ihave avoided being forced to try and get and keep a paid job (I do volunteering) because of my physical problems. I am far too scared to reveal this new diagnosis to the DWP in case it triggers a “review” of my PIP award. The autism curtails my ability to go out, plan, understand when I should eat and many other basic things. I would like to know how people with high functioning autism (sometimes call Asperger Syndrome) fare at PIP assessments? I would particularly like to know if they are still forced to attend face to face assessments. I would like to volunteer for B&W if you need help with processing this data in order to drill down further (I am good at that type of thing), please get in touch if you require further assistance with that.
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  Sally · 1 years ago
  
  @Porridge Hello porridge. Aspergers is scored zero. I was given nothing for anxiety/carpal tunnel syndrome/arthritis in both arms and hands. Scored zero for all. In fact old dla rate reduced and told 'my conditions had improved'(all are degenerative: arthritis/copd/carpal tunnel) and that I have 'adequate upper body dexterity' despite arthritis in hands as well as carpal tunnel and arthritic arms too. Scored nothing on asd/anxiety disorder/severe depression.
  
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  Porridge · 1 years ago
  
  @Fionn Thank you so much for sharing your experience of a PIP assessment, it is very interesting and I am so sorry to hear that you even had to go through that. I had to have a face to face last time, which was absolutely terrifying. I have always stated in all my PIP, DLA and ESA applications that I have severe and refractory anxiety, which cannot be treated with CBT or any other kind of medication (apart from medical prescribed cannabis, which has bad unhelpful side effects), and also being extremely “clumsy”: problems with physical coordination. I therefore will not be suddenly revealing a whole new range of disabilities that were not there all along. I even been given a Blue Badge by the council even though I was assessed by the DWP as being not entitled to any mobility component.
  
  I realise you must be very anxious about your upcoming review. It might be worth you paying for a psychiatrist or a clinical psychologist to have an assessment and say that you need to gather evidence about the problems and difficulties you typically face day to day and that this is perfectly normal for someone with Asperger Syndrome to have those problems and that it is not appropriate for you to be exposed to a face to face assessment with the DWP, then at least you will have some fresh evidence to lay before them, and if they do not take that seriously it is hard evidence if you have to appeal. However, the fact that the DWP is aware that autism is a lifelong condition that does not change or “get better”, and you have already been granted PIP on the basis of that condition, then I should imagine that a review would amount to little more than an administrative matter for the DWP. Best wishes to you.
  
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  Fionn · 1 years ago
  
  @Porridge I think a lot will depend on the assessor. I've only been assessed once for PIP, and it was hard going – partly because I was in a bit of a bad way and had major brain fog as well as the usual processing challenges. But the assessor was lovely and very patient. It took an hour and a half to go through my form, and although I was a shaking wreck by the end of it, I was fairly sure it had gone okay. I've also heard from people whose assessors were much less easy to deal with, though, so it's the luck of the draw. Under the guidelines in force at the time, autistic claimants were entitled to a home assessment, and that did help. I'm due for review soon, and I'll try for a paper-based assessment ... no idea how that will go!
  
  You maybe should tell them about your diagnosis if you can, as it says at the bottom of every letter that we're obliged to report any change in our circumstances. However, if you described some of these challenges in your original claim (albeit without saying they were due to autism), I guess you might arguably say that getting a formal diagnosis hasn't changed your circumstances? Good luck, whatever you decide to do.
  
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MrFibro · 1 years ago
Just downloaded and read the full 500 listed conditions. Very interesting.
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  nika1000 · 1 years ago
  
  @MrFibro Sorry, found it
  
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  nika1000 · 1 years ago
  
  @MrFibro Hi! How did you download the whole list please? The link in the article leads to a general Stat-xplo page.
  
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  Lola68 · 1 years ago
  
  @MrFibro i know i was amazed and i know of people who've been flatly refused PIP for some of the higher %percentage conditions listed !
  
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Carole · 1 years ago
I had a benefits check, they told me I don’t get DLA, but I’ve been getting it since 2000! Still going in my bank, I’ve had no correspondence from pip or anyone else, I’m 69 retired in 2019, DLA mobility, I’ve just ordered a motability vehicle and waiting for it , weird🤔
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  Chris · 1 years ago
  
  @Carole Hi Carole, Nothing surprised me where the DWP is involved! I turned state pension age this year and was already receiving PIP. I was worried that it would stop and I'd have to claim the equivalent older persons version of it. Sorry can't think of what it's called at the moment. I ended up ringing the DWP to ask. They said I was on PIP indefinitely and didn't have to do anything. I've not heard from PIP about it. Have you moved during that time? If not it might be worth ringing them especially if you need proof for your mobility car. I waited over a year for my new notability car so hopefully you won't have to wait that long!
  
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  Jocasta · 1 years ago
  
  @Carole It is no surprise to me whatsoever, to see the lowest success rates for claiming PIP for incontinence, especially bowel incontinence.
  
  This has a massive impact on almost every aspect of daily living, the ability to engage or socialise, going on a journey and mobilising.
  
  Incontinence is woefully under scored on the PIP descriptors and it is about time this was rectified, compared to other descriptors.
  
  I have had to go to a tribunal at every PIP review and at my last tribunal by telephone, my evidence was so overwhelming that I only had to confirm my name - to be given exactly the PIP award, I believed I was entitled to. Assessors and DWP decision makers, obviously need more training on this issue.
  
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