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Double Amputee Says He May Lose Job As DWP Have Taken Away His Car

Double Amputee Says He May Lose Job As DWP Have Taken Away His Car

He has his £58-a-month benefit stopped, because assessors say he can walk 20 metres.

Claire Reid

Claire Reid

A man who has had one arm and one leg amputated has been told he will lose his specially adapted car because he can occasionally walk 20 metres unaided.

Stephen Dickson, 38, says the car is a lifeline and without it he fears he will lose his job, and his independence. After an assessment by the Department for Work and Pensions, a decision was made that Stephen's circumstances have changed after he was able to walk 20 metres using a prosthetic limb.

However, Stephen says he can't always walk that far, because the artificial limb causes him a lot of pain.

Stephen has been receiving Disability Living Allowance since he was 11, but when the new system - Personal Impendence Payment (PIP) - was introduced last month he had to re-apply.

Credit: Mercury

Stephen, who was born without his right arm and leg, was told he no longer qualified for the mobility aspect of his payment.

He said: "I think the decision is really short sighted of the DWP.

"Yes, I can walk 20 metres with my prosthetic leg, which meets their requirements, but I can't walk that far regularly - it causes a lot of strain on my body.

"My prosthetic leg is there to help me walk but they make me develop sores on my groin and the bottom of my legs and I can get ingrown hair follicles which are really painful.

"A few days a year I am left bed bound because my limbs hurt that much and I need to rest up so that I don't do too much damage to my body."

Stephen said he's 'more than grateful' not to be losing his standard living payments, but is worried how he will get around without his car. He was getting £58 a month paid to the Motability Scheme, where he hired a Skoda Superb, with an accelerator adaption to help meet his needs.

He added: "I presumed because I always had it I would receive similar payments under PIP, so when I was told I wouldn't be receiving the same payments I was shocked."

He is now planning to appeal the decision, but in the meantime will have no way of getting to and from work.

Credit: Mercury

"I don't mind using public transport," Stephen said. "But the bus stop is quite a walk from my house and if there are no empty seats it will cause a strain on my limbs if I have to stand. When I have my prosthetic leg attached and my trousers on it becomes an invisible disability, so no one would even know I was disabled and needed to sit down.

"It would be fine doing it for a few days but after a few weeks the sores around my groin and knees would inevitably get worse resulting in me having to call in sick at work."

Stephen added that the car has meant he hasn't had to live off the state or claim any other benefits, because he was able to go out to work.

A DWP spokesperson said: "Decisions for PIP are made following consideration of all the information provided by the claimant, including supporting evidence from their GP or medical specialist.

"Most people leaving the Motability scheme are eligible for a one-off payment of up to £2,000 to help meet their needs."

Featured Image Credit: Mercury

Topics: Benefits