Paralysed man refused benefit ‘due to MoD work in Germany’

AMAN who was left suddenly paralysed was refused disability benefit because he’d lived abroad – even though he was working for the Ministry of Defence at the time.

Mike Plumb, 56, was diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome, which left him unable to move his arms or legs.

Before that he had worked for five years at the Military Court Centre Sennelager, Germany, for the Ministry of Defence (MoD).

But when he came to apply for Personal Independence Payments (PIP) on his return to Anglesey, he was told he wasn’t eligible despite his disability – because he’d worked abroad for more than 12 months.

Mr Plumb returned to live in the village of Star in Pembrokeshire with his wife and daughter in February.

He said: “When I called to request a claim form I explained that I had been living away for five years working for the MoD but was still paying UK tax and national insurance and I was told this wouldn’t cause any problems.

“On October 13 I received a letter saying my application was unsuccessful because I’d been living overseas, even though I was still contributing to the UK economy and was living at a British Forces postal address.

“I called them back to complain and the person on the phone told me I was entitled to claim so my application was resubmitted.

“That was six weeks ago and they’ve made no effort to contact me since, so I called them two weeks ago and was told that they’re still in the process of making a decision on whether I can make a PIP claim.

“It doesn’t seem like they really know what is going on.”

The father of one says he is now “very concerned” because his income is due to drop by half within the next four weeks.

As well as the financial burden caused by the sudden onset of the condition, Mr Plumb says he also faces daily struggles with being wheelchair-bound.

He added: “I never thought

Iwould ever be in this position. I was out running with my dog on the Saturday and by the Monday I couldn’t move – it’s very frustrating.

“I still can’t stand by myself, I’m only just able to lightly hold a pen again and up until two weeks ago I couldn’t hold the phone to my ear.

“I have carers come in three times a day to help get me out of bed and in to my wheelchair and they have to help wash and dress me.

“Going out can be difficult because I have a catheter and disabled toilets aren’t always available.

“When I want to go places I have to have taxis that are able to carry my chair and they’re often more expensive – one firm wanted to charge £30 each way for a three-mile journey that would normally only cost around £7.

“I’ve also had to cancel numerous physiotherapy appointments in Caernarfon because of the lack of available transport ambulances to take me there and bring me back.

“These are all things I never thought about until I didn’t have a choice.”

Mr Plumb recently received an electric wheelchair worth £1,700 from GAIN, a charity dedicated to helping people affected by GuillainBarré syndrome, or chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP).

The Department for Work and Pensions said: “We have been in contact with Mr Plumb to apologise and discuss his claim, which we are looking at again.”