MS sufferer who struggles to walk had mobility allowance axed 'because she could squeeze person's thumb'
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A mother-of-two who struggles to walk more than a few metres without help had her mobility allowance taken away 'because she could squeeze someone's thumb'.
The Department for Work and Pensions has now overturned the decision to stop MS sufferer Mel Wiseman's payments - but only after she complained to the Press and her MP .
DWP assessors visited Mel at her home in Newton Burgoland in July and decided she no longer qualified for the £87-a-month personal independence payment (PIP) awarded the previous year due to her disability.
Mel, 43, and her husband Charlie, 44, described the original decision as "shameful and appalling", the Leicester Mercury reports .
(Photo: Leicester Mercury / SWNS)
Mr Wiseman said: "Mel was diagnosed with a rarer form of MS in 2014 and has limited lower limb mobility, which means she struggles to walk more than five metres without help.
"She was awarded the PIP last year due to mobility problems, but you have to re-submit the forms every year.
"All Mel was asked to do (during the assessment) was to squeeze this person's thumb, to touch her toes from a sitting position and to stand on one leg, which she managed to do although holding on to something."
Mr Wiseman claimed letters from MS specialists at Leicester's hospitals stating his wife had "a lot of weakness and spasticity in her legs" and that she frequently stumbled were ignored.
"Mel has deteriorated over the past year.," he said. "This (the original) decision strikes me as pure cost-saving – £87 isn't very much and goes to help with the extra costs which go with Mel's MS, such as higher insurance, extra equipment and fuel to take her to work and for medical appointments.
"One of the problems with MS is that having anything stress-related compounds the symptoms."
The PIP replaced the former disability living allowance with the aim of helping working age people with the extra costs associated with their disability.
The DWP has now reviewed the case, agreed to re-instate the benefit and actually increased it to £301 to include mobility and daily living allowance.
The payment has been backdated to August and the case will not need to be reviewed for another four years.
(Photo: Leicester Mercury / SWNS)
Mr Wiseman said: "It is a huge relief. We had to jump through a lot of hoops and it was a hard fight but common sense has prevailed.
"Although there could have been no argument with the evidence we had we are grateful that we didn't have to go through a tribunal hearing."
"We do feel we have been vindicated but we couldn't have done it without the support of the Leicester Mercury, our MP and others.
"But there are many others in similar situations who are unable to fight or who have no-one to fight on their behalf."
Andre Bridgen, Conservative MP for North West Leicestershire, said: "I am pleased that the matter has been resolved and I will be working with the Government to see what can be done to see instances like this do not occur again."