A FATHER with brain damage left living on toast to save food for his family after the DWP slashed his benefits has had his payments restored after the ordeal was exposed by The National.
Scott (not his real name) said he spent days eating only bread to ensure his wife Lorna and their children, aged six and one, had proper meals after assessors ruled he should no longer receive any Personal Independence Payments (PIP).
The £450-per-month loss left them reliant on food banks and charity support after the DWP said he was ineligible for help.
That’s despite the fact Scott lives with constant migraines, memory problems, speech problems and muscle weakness after a devastating car crash a decade ago.
The 34-year-old was cut from the passenger seat of the wreckage and has been unable to return to work since. Doctors caring for the Renfrewshire man, who also has complex mental health issues, wrote to authorities to explain and said the PIP wrangle had left him “very distressed”.
Scott was backed by the brain injury association Headway and his MP Gavin Newlands told this newspaper that the case shows “there is something deeply wrong with the benefits system”.
But ten days after The National revealed Scott’s ordeal, the DWP has confirmed it will reinstate his PIP support and backdate payments.
And he will not have to prove his impairments to assessors again until 2030.
The Paisley man said: “I’m very relieved – but I found out on the phone and I won’t believe it until I get the letter in. This means a bit more stability for us and I can stop stressing and starving myself because I can make sure there’s enough food to feed us.
“I was starving myself to make sure they had enough to eat. I wasn’t eating anything but toast for three or four days at a time, I’ve lost a lot of weight.
“It’s shocking that this can happen. I was just asking for what I was due.
“And I’m not the only one in this position, I’ve just had enough strength to go further with it.
"People need to keep fighting – don’t take the DWP’s word for it, take things further.”
The couple asked The National not to publish their real names for fear of stigma over their financial struggle.
Their MP commented: “I was delighted to hear my constituent has quite rightly had his PIP payment reinstated, although still hugely disappointed at the time and effort it has taken to get to this position. Yet again, another DWP decision has been found to be misguided and inaccurate.
“These are people’s lives we are talking about, the DWP really has to take a look at its processes to identify the huge number of failings that leave vulnerable people in situations of great stress through no fault of their own. The system is failing those in the greatest need and the UK Government needs to act on this.”
The DWP said it is unable to comment without written permission from the claimant.
However, the department says it is “committed to helping people get the support they are entitled to and decisions are made based on all the evidence we have received at the time”.
Peter McCabe, chief executive of brain injury association Headway, said Scott’s story is sadly not unique, adding: “We are working with the DWP and assessment firms to enhance the process of applying for benefits and improve understanding of brain injury.”
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