MAN DIES AS HE BATTLES FOR BENEFITS

A DISABLED dad died after being repeatedly refused benefits and told he was fit to work.

Mark Hayes’ heartbroken girlfriend Lucinda Aldous says the Department for Work and Pensions only accepted he was entitled to support after his death.

She said: “I believe he’d still be here now but for the way they treated him. The stress made his high blood pressure worse.”

Mark, 48, died of a brain haemorrhage in 2013. His illnesses i ncluded l i ver failure and immobility due to three metal plates in his legs and hips.

Despite needing full-time care from Lucinda, painter Mark repeatedly failed disability benefit tests. Lucinda, 24 – who has since received Personal Independence Payment ( PIP) and Carer’s Allowance backdated to his first rejected application – said his assessments at Nutwood House in Canterbury, Kent, involved “silly questions”.

Lucinda, who is now raising their six- year- old daughter Natasha alone in Margate, added: “I still can’t understand why they thought he was fit to work. He’d also lost the use of his hands. He couldn’t even hold his own baby daughter.”

Recent figures showed 83,000 people – one in seven PIP claimants – were given no points at all between April and October 2016.

Claimants must score at least eight to be paid the benefit.

A DWP spokesman said: “Our thoughts are with Mr Hayes’ family. Decisions are based on information provided.”