Ex-soldier on hunger strike after benefits axed
A FORMER soldier who served his country for 13 years and was left disabled has gone on hunger strike after his benefits were withdrawn due to mistakes he claims were made by Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) staff in Wick.
The man, who lives in Caithness but cannot be identified for security reasons, said mistakes made at its Girnigoe Street office have left him and his partner struggling to survive.
And until he gets back what he claims he is entitled to – employment and support allowance payments – he intends maintaining his fast, surviving only on fluids.
During a meeting at the Wick DWP office in 2011, he was informed his incapacity benefit payments would be changed to the Employment and Support Allowance scheme (ESA).
The 52-year-old has received incapacity benefits since 1991 due to injuries he suffered including prolapsed discs, fused vertebrae, restless leg syndrome, dropped foot and depression – conditions verified by medical certificates from two orthopaedic consultants, a consultant psychiatrist and a GP.
He claims he was told his payments would continue as normal and he would automatically be put into the support group.
A year later, he was informed his payments of £500 a month were being stopped as he was no longer deemed eligible. As one year had passed since he was informed about the change to ESA, he was no longer entitled to appeal to ATOS Healthcare, which carries out work capability assessments which decide claims.
"In 2011, the assistant manager told me there was nothing to worry about, the dates of my payments would continue as normal and I didn’t need to do anything," he said.
"A year on, I got a letter from the Jobcentre that my 365 days to appeal had passed and, as I am not in the support group bracket, I was no longer entitled to my allowance.
"This was the first time I was made aware that I had to appeal. I should have been in the support group since day one and have four medical certificates to prove it, but I was not asked to provide anything."
Last month, when he went back to the Wick office, he said he was told a mistake had been made.
He refused to leave until the mistake was rectified, but ended up being escorted out of the building by police.
"The staff said they couldn’t do anything," he said.
"I refused four times to leave until somebody sorted it out. It’s their responsibility to ensure staff are fully trained and don’t give out the wrong advice."
As his wife works more than 24 hours a week, they are not entitled to housing benefit but they have cancelled paying council tax, water bills and their TV licence until he is paid what he claims is due to him.
"There are people who do abuse the system, but I’ve got four medical consultants who have written I’ll never work again," he said.
"I haven’t eaten since Saturday and if it takes me to starve to death to show the incompetence of Wick DWP, that’s what I’ll do."
A spokesman for the DWP said ESA replaced the previous incapacity benefit scheme as it was more effective to help people able to work to find employment and to support those unable to work.
But he added: "We are willing to look into the case and if there has been a mistake we will do what we can to resolve the issue."
Far north MP John Thurso has been heavily involved in the man’s case and is calling on the DWP and ATOS Healthcare to act quickly to resolve the complaint, failing which he will contact Works and Pensions Minister Iain Duncan Smith.
"Everybody has the right to know what is happening in regard to their benefits and if the gentleman didn’t get the required information, then that is wrong," he said.
"When we tried to appeal on his behalf, at every level ATOS Healthcare didn’t rule on the quality of the appeal – they ruled on the time bar.
"This has not been come about by policy, but by administrative incompetence – the Government policy intends this gentleman to be on ESA.
"We have asked the gentleman to make a fresh application with the support of his doctor about his change of circumstances.
"If we cannot find a resolution by the end of the next week, I will be raising his case with the Secretary of State."