Man whose ‘bones were coming through his flesh’ due to severe arthritis is denied disability benefits after switch to PIP system
A former church minister was denied crucial disability money despite his arthritis being so severe his bones are coming through this flesh, it has been reported.
The unidentified man from Birkenhead, Wirral reportedly also faces losing his mobility car following the assessment, even after being awarded Personal Independence Payment (PIP).
Independent MP Frank Field showed pictures of the 60-year-old's gnarled hands to the Commons today.
The MP said he was shocked after the man came into his constituency surgery and struggled to walk into the room.
He was denied the "mobility element" of PIP.
Work and Pensions Committee chief Mr Field, who resigned from the Labour Party, said the man had an underlying condition for 40 years which then caused rheumatoid arthritis to affect his hands and feet.
His office added the man was diagnosed with an aggressive auto-immune disease in 1980 followed by bronchial asthma.
Mr Field told The Mirror: "My constituent has suffered with a long-term degenerative condition. There is no cure.
"The joints on his hands and feet are locked into one position. He walks with two crutches and requires regular breaks to recover after walking short distances.
"He falls regularly and is unable to brace himself during his falls.
"He was recently awarded Personal Independence Payment after a reassessment. He was awarded full care but has lost all his mobility component. This means he will lose his mobility car."
The PIP, which pays to help with daily costs of being disabled, comes in two parts and is worth about £150 a week.
One part is for mobility and the other part is for "daily living".
Mr Field's office said the man was given the "daily living" element of PIP but not the other one when he was transferred from older benefit DLA a few months ago.
In the Commons, Mr Field added: "Might I meet with the minister immediately to give him a file of photographs of constituents who failed to get any mobility component, even when they have feet with the bones coming through the flesh like this one?
"So that we can have an urgent meeting to show the procedure we all wish to see applying doesn't actually operate currently."
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Mr Field obtained permission from the man to show the photos.
DWP minister Justin Tomlinson, who said he would be happy to meet with Mr Field, said: "But we do know that those who transfer from [old benefit] DLA to PIP - there are now 144,000 claimants who weren't on enhanced mobility under DLA who now are under PIP."
A DWP spokesman told The Sun Online the department was going to look into the case Mr Field brought to the Commons as a matter of urgency.
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