Benefit cut left my sick husband suicidal
MY HUSBAND Richard was once a muscular 6ft 4in builder who loved his work and his life. Back in 2015, we were finally informed that Richard was a type 2 diabetic. However, his health had been declining drastically since 2010-11, with severe muscle wastage, extreme tiredness, acute pain in his hands, arms, legs and neck and clinical depression. Eventually, he was awarded enhanced Personal Independence Payments (PIP), designed to help with costs for those with a long-term health condition or disability. This was claimed for several years, until we were asked to attend a faceto-face consultation with an ATOS assessor, doing health checks on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions. During the interview, the assessor was shocked at the decline in Richard’s health. And in the physical part of the interview, I pulled Richard back in his wheelchair and applied the brakes so that he could try to stand. The assessor said there was no need. Despite all this, we later received a letter saying that Richard had refused to stand up out of his wheelchair. They also claimed he had no muscle wastage and was no longer eligible for PIP as he had failed by just two points to receive the lower monthly payment. We are appealing the decision, but this has shattered us. Richard’s depression is now extreme. He has left suicide notes and I have sought police help. PIP helps you pay for the road fund tax on your car so you can get the affected person to hospital appointments, etc. But as we no longer receive these payments, we can no longer afford the tax so our car has had to be taken off the road. My husband now spends virtually all of his time up in his room and won’t talk to anyone. Previously, an occasional drive was the only thing Richard could do to escape the day-to-day problems with pain. Now even that liberty has gone. Richard is in constant agony and I have to do everything for him. The whole situation has had a huge impact on our marriage and led to me having a heart attack in March. These twisted PIP health assessments have made an extremely difficult situation intolerable for both of us.
lISA SANDERSON, Margate, Kent.