PIP is provided to people with long-term conditions affecting either their daily life or mobility
Personal Independence Payments (PIP) provide up to £749.80 monthly to assist with costs associated with disability. While no particular diagnosis guarantees a successful claim, DWP figures have revealed the most common gastrointestinal conditions being reported on successful claims.
Around 3.7 million people are receiving PIP, with 33,740 of these claims relating to gastrointestinal conditions, according to the Taxpayers’ Alliance. This includes conditions that originate in the gut like irritable bowl syndrome but also incorporates issues throughout the gastrointestinal tract which spans from the mouth to the rectum.
Gastrointestinal diseases reported on PIP claims:
- Abdominal hernias
- Benign tumours of the gastrointestinal tract
- Congenital disorders of the GI tract
- Diseases of the colon
- Diseases of the oesophagus, stomach and duodenum
- Diseases of the rectum and anues
- Diseases of the small bowel
- Inflammatory bowel disease
- Irritable bowel syndrome
The final category being claimed for is ‘other diseases of the gastrointestinal tract’. This includes conditions like having an artificial opening, such as a colostomy, with no underlying diagnosis or if you have a disease that is not otherwise listed or known about.
The most frequently reported gastrointestinal condition on PIP claims is inflammatory bowel disease, with roughly 15,000 claimants. This category encompasses conditions such as Crohn’s disease, a chronic lifelong condition causing inflammation of the digestive tract, and ulcerative colitis which triggers inflammation and ulcers in the lining of the large intestine and rectum.
According to the UK charity, Crohn’s & Colitis UK, in 2022 there were over half a million people in the UK living with these conditions. This statistic places the UK second globally in terms of the population percentage living with the condition, trailing only behind the US.
The second most common gastrointestinal condition reported on PIP claims is diseases of the oesophagus, stomach and duodenum, with just under 4,000 claimants.
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This category encompasses hiatus hernia and some reflux conditions, peptic ulcers and oesophageal varices, which occur when blood flow to the liver becomes obstructed, forcing blood from the intestines to be redirected elsewhere, causing blood vessels to enlarge and swell, which can rupture.
One of the least reported gastrointestinal conditions on PIP claims is congenital disorders of the GI tract, with a mere 289 claimants. This category includes cleft lip, cleft lip with cleft palate, Hirschprung Disease and tracheo-oesophageal fistula.
A cleft lip or cleft palate aren’t technically gastrointestinal conditions as their main characteristic is a facial deformity. It occurs when the structure that forms the upper lip or palate fails to connect together during a baby’s development in the womb.
However, due to the feeding difficulties this condition causes, it can lead to GI issues and in some cases where the cleft lip or palate is due to a genetic syndrome, it is usually associated with other GI anomalies.
Eligibility for PIP doesn’t depend on your specific condition but instead on how significantly it impacts your daily living and movement. The extent of this effect also determines the precise amount you’ll receive from the disability benefit.
The benefit comprises two components; the daily living element and the mobility element. Awards in the first component vary from £73.90 to £110.40 weekly whilst mobility can offer either £29.20 or £77.05 weekly. People receiving the highest rates get around £749.80 every four weeks .
