DWP lists 12 health conditions most likely to lead to payments of up to £748 per month

The Department for Work and Pensions has published data revealing the 12 health conditions whose sufferers are most likely to receive a long-term Personal Independence Payment award, defined as one lasting five years or more.

At the top of the table sits visual disease, where nearly seven in ten claimants - 40,809 of the 60,360 who receive PIP for the condition - have been granted awards running beyond the five-year threshold.

Neurological conditions follow closely, with more than half of recipients - 273,628 of 494,817 - in the long-term category.

In total, the data shows that just under half of all PIP claimants across the 12 conditions - 1,804,025 out of 3,926,015 - are on awards that will run for at least five years.

PIP is a Government benefit intended to ease the financial pressures faced by those whose day-to-day lives are shaped by a long-term physical or mental health condition, disability or learning difficulty, covering extra costs that arise from living with such conditions. The DWP classes any award running for five years or longer as long-term, reports GB News.

PIP is divided into two components, depending on how a claimant's condition affects their daily life and mobility. For daily living, standard rate claimants receive £76.55 each week, while those on the enhanced rate are paid £114.80. On the mobility side, the standard rate stands at £30.20 weekly, with the enhanced rate worth £80.10. Those who qualify for both components at the enhanced rate receive a combined payment of £187 per week — equivalent to £748 per month.

Award lengths vary considerably. The shortest awards last nine months, while the longest run to 10 years under a "light touch" review process. According to the PIP Handbook: "The length of award will be based upon each claimant's individual circumstances."

Awards are not permanent by default, the majority of claimants face regular reassessments to confirm their entitlement remains correct. Where a degree of recovery is thought achievable, claimants may instead receive a fixed award of up to two years, after which their case will be looked at again.

The full list of the 12 conditions with the highest proportion of long-term awards, as identified by the DWP, is as follows:

• Visual disease — 68 per cent long-term awards (40,809 of 60,360 claimants)
• Neurological disease — 55 per cent (273,628 of 494,817)
• Hearing disorders — 54 per cent
• General musculoskeletal disease — 54 per cent
• Respiratory disease — 51 per cent
• Regional musculoskeletal conditions — 47 per cent
• Skin disease — 45 per cent
• Endocrine disease — 44 per cent
• Cardiovascular disease — 42 per cent
• Psychiatric disorders — 41 per cent (largest claimant group overall, with 1,523,811 recipients)
• Gastrointestinal disease — 34 per cent
• Malignant disease — 25 per cent (32,044 of 127,423 claimants)