– Billy Bryson from Livingston
Mum of murdered kids left suicidal after benefits cut
They have also expressed concern that the ordeal with DWP has made his condition even worse.
One letter from his consultant at Edinburgh’s Western General states: “During the course of this process his functional symptoms have become worse. He has been getting more intense, A mum whose husband murdered their children has told how she has been too ill to fight a decision to strip her of disability benefits.
June Martin, 58, has been living in fear of losing her home after assessors told her she no longer qualified for benefits.
She suffered post-traumatic stress and flashbacks after her children Ryan, 7, and Michelle, 25, were stabbed a total of 27 times at their former family home in Fife in 2008.
She said that she has been “too sick” to properly challenge the decision to withdraw her £55 a week PIP payments after emotionally breaking down at a benefits tribunal. The anguished mum now relies on family to help her after being left with just £58 a week to live on.
June said: “I’ve been left suicidal after being made to feel like a benefits scrounger.
“The so-called nurse who carried out my medical widespread pain, particularly in his arms and legs but also in the back and head.”
The introduction of a new benefits system – th e Employment Support Allowance (ESA) – and the testing that has gone with that has been hugely controversial.
Tens of thousands of people who had been re c e i v i n g incapacity benefit and severe disability allowance had their benefits wrongly cut when they were moved onto ESA.
Tests were carried out by outside c o n t ra c t o r s At o s Healthcare, but the Frenchowned firm quit the DWP contract in 2014 after massive criticism of its work. New contractors Capita and Maximus were then brought in to carry out tests, but complaints about these assessments have continued. Mr Bryson was assessed by staff from Capita.
Hannah Bardell, the SNP MP for Livingston, has been working with Billy to try to get a resolution to his case, along with an advocate from the Advice Shop in Bathgate.
Despite their interventions, the DWP have refused to acknowledge their mistake and say Billy should be working.
‘
How they think I can work behind a bar is beyond me
Ms Bardell said: “My office has been trying to make headway on Mr Bryson’s case since November 2017. Nearly a year on and we are exceptionally frustrated not to be much further forward.
“From the outset, the DWP have never taken into consideration the issues raised by Mr Bryson or the professional medical evidence available.
“I will be writing afresh to the new DWP Secretary of State to pursue t h is for my constituent.”
A DWP spokesperson said: “We have reviewed Mr Bryson’s case and determined he was underpaid for a period in 2017, while appealing his Work Capability Assessment decision.
“However, the decision was ultimately upheld by the independent tribunal. We have apologised for the underpayment and will be making a full payment to him urgently.
“We are committed to ensuring that people with health conditions get the support they’re entitled to and in the rare cases where mistakes are made, we will ensure these are corrected swiftly.” assessment didn’t seem to care that I’m still suffering from PTSD and flashbacks from seeing my children lying murdered in their beds.
“All she was interested in was finding out if I could spell the word ‘world’ backwards and if I could hold my arms above my head.”