Bleak Christmas after benefits removed.

A WHEELCHAIR-BOUND car crash victim who was stripped of his benefits after being told he is fit to work faced a bleak Christmas.

Severely disabled Simon Powell, who requires round-the-clock care, had his benefits taken away after an assessment by a doctor on behalf of the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP).

The Mail reported last month that despite being wheelchair-bound,
unable to stand unaided and needing help to the toilet, Simon, 45, and his partner and carer, Val Bolan, 51, were to miss out on their desperately-needed £120-a-week Disability Living Allowance (DLA).

Since the article appeared, Simon, who is also unable to wash and dress himself, has suffered a further setback as he has recently been in hospital suffering from a stomach ulcer, which he believes could have been brought on by all the stress from his money woes.

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Is this a sign of thinks to come ?

This must be a review of the DLA claim/entitlement through the Right Payment Programme, as the car accident happened 17 years ago. It it is not the first time I have seen a care/mobility award reduced to absolutely nothing. The two cases I dealt with however were DLA renewal claims, and both appellants had their entitlement restored on appeal. In one case the previous MR care component was increased to the higher rate.

I sincerely hope that this gentleman receives what he quite rightly deserves on appeal, but one criticism I would make is that it is most unwise as this gentleman has done, to question the benefit entitlement of others without knowing the full facts and the reasons for the award of benefit, in respect of the persons involved about whom the allegations have been made.

I note that even this claimant thinks that the DLA is linked to not being able to work - this suggests that he may not have been telling the DWP what they needed to know in his application because he may have been focussing on his inability to work not his care and mobility needs.

I think there is more than meets the eye with this newspaper article.

The reporter asserts that the claimant has been found fit for work, but then goes on to explain that DLA entitlement has been withdrawn, making the correlation between this allowance and work. Surely his IB would have been removed first, but there is no mention of this. The person in question cannot be an ESA claimant, as it would appear that he has been incapacitated for 17 years.

In my view, as I alluded to earlier in this post, the news item as reported raises more questions than answers.

What, a newspaper reporter that doesn't understand benefits? Never! Whatever next - a government that doesn't understand benefits and thinks that we're all scroungers? Er, wait, I think we have one...

Jima1 wrote:

A WHEELCHAIR-BOUND car crash victim who was stripped of his benefits after being told he is fit to work faced a bleak Christmas.

Severely disabled Simon Powell, who requires round-the-clock care, had his benefits taken away after an assessment by a doctor on behalf of the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP).

The Mail reported last month that despite being wheelchair-bound,
unable to stand unaided and needing help to the toilet, Simon, 45, and his partner and carer, Val Bolan, 51, were to miss out on their desperately-needed £120-a-week Disability Living Allowance (DLA).

Since the article appeared, Simon, who is also unable to wash and dress himself, has suffered a further setback as he has recently been in hospital suffering from a stomach ulcer, which he believes could have been brought on by all the stress from his money woes.

Full story

Is this a sign of thinks to come ?

The guy might or might not have a case, but he is no help to his own case making daft claims like

"he has recently been in hospital suffering from a stomach ulcer, which he believes could have been brought on by all the stress from his money woes"

now research shows that between 60 and 90% are caused by bacteria (depending on which research you read, but my money is on in his case the second main cause which is..... drugs certain Anti-inflammatory cause them.. which given his problems he must have taken a few ?

If he was to sya that he needs so many pain killers he has caused an ulcer that might even help his case, as it gives a guide to how many pain killers are needed IMO