PIP for COPD

If you suffer from Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), you may be eligible for Personal Independence Payment (PIP). In 2023, over 94,000 people received PIP with COPD as their main condition, making it the seventh most common condition for which PIP is awarded. If COPD significantly affects your daily living and mobility, it’s important to consider whether you could be entitled to this financial support.

Why You Should Consider Claiming PIP for COPD

PIP helps people with long-term health conditions, like COPD, manage the costs of daily living and mobility. The success rate for claims related to COPD is above average. In fact, 65% of PIP claims for COPD are successful, which is much higher than the general success rate of 53%. This means that if COPD is affecting your ability to perform everyday tasks, you have a good chance of receiving support.

PIP Success and Award Rates for COPD

• Success Rate: 65% of PIP claims for COPD are successful.

• Daily Living Component Awards:

  • Enhanced Rate: 35%

  • Standard Rate: 58%

  • No Award: 7%

• Mobility Component Awards:

  • Enhanced Rate: 58%

  • Standard Rate: 32%

  • No Award: 11%

93% of claimants with COPD receive the Daily Living component, and 90% receive the Mobility component.

PIP Payment Rates (April 2024)

• Daily Living Component:

  • Standard Rate: £72.65

  • Enhanced Rate: £108.55

• Mobility Component:

  • Standard Rate: £28.70

  • Enhanced Rate: £75.75

Receiving the enhanced rate for both components means you could receive an additional £184.30 each week. PIP is paid on top of most other benefits and may increase your entitlement to other financial support. Additionally, the enhanced mobility rate allows access to the Motability scheme, which provides vehicles for those who need assistance with mobility.

How to Qualify for PIP

To qualify for PIP, you must be at least 16 years old and under state pension age. The best way to determine whether you're eligible is to assess how your COPD affects your ability to carry out daily activities. You’ll receive points based on how difficult these activities are for you, and a sufficient score can lead to an award of PIP.

Daily Living and Mobility Activities

There are 10 daily living activities and 2 mobility activities used to assess your eligibility:

Daily Living Activities:

• Preparing food

• Taking nutrition

• Managing therapy or monitoring a health condition

• Washing and bathing

• Managing toilet needs or incontinence

• Dressing and undressing

• Communicating verbally

• Reading and understanding signs, symbols, and words

• Engaging with other people face-to-face

• Making budgeting decisions

Mobility Activities:

• Planning and following journeys

• Moving around

For each activity, you need to evaluate whether you can perform it:

• To a reasonable standard

• Safely

• Repeatedly

• In no more than twice the time it would take someone without a health condition

Common COPD Issues That Could Affect Your PIP Claim

COPD can impact many aspects of your daily life. Here are some examples of how your condition may affect your ability to carry out tasks:

• Preparing Food: Breathlessness or wheezing might make it take longer than usual to prepare meals, which could impact your claim.

• Eating: If you risk fainting from coughing (cough syncope), you may need supervision when eating.

• Washing: The exertion involved in washing may require you to take extended breaks, potentially affecting your ability to wash to an acceptable standard.

How PIP Ready Can Help

If you’re ready to apply for PIP or want to understand how COPD impacts your eligibility, PIP Ready is here to assist. We specialise in helping people like you navigate the PIP application process with expert guidance every step of the way.

Our team can support you with filling out your forms, gathering the right evidence, and ensuring your application is as strong as possible. You don’t have to do it alone!