A disabled woman "isolated and alone" after DWP takes the car to move

A disabled woman said she was isolated after her mobility car was removed by the Ministry of Labor and Pensions.

Pat Higgins worked almost all her adult life, but when her health began to deteriorate, she was forced to quit her part time job at a pharmacy.

At age 64, he suffers from multiple sclerosis, affecting the brain and spinal cord, and osteoporosis, a condition that weakens bones, making them fragile and more likely to break.

Pat, of Newcastle, who uses a wheelchair every day, says she's been made to feel like a stripped down after changing her benefits, reports the Chronicle Live.

Initially, she received a high rate of care and mobility components as part of her Living Allowance for People with Disabilities.

But after being asked to apply for a Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and mandatory badessment, Pat says she is no longer entitled to the benefits she receives.

She stated that her benefits had been cut in half and that her car had been stolen, leaving her unable to pay her rent.

Pat said: "After the evaluation, my car had to go back – it was my independence.

"If someone could not take me, I should pay a taxi, which is not cheap if you want to go out more than once.

"If I wanted to visit my family, I could not do it.

"I have to go to the appointments at the hospital, I could not do it anymore, I had to pay a taxi."

Pat, who also suffers from autism, OCD, depression, anxiety and liver problems, provided additional documentation for his badessment but added that his health problems had been resolved.

She said: "I went in a wheelchair and took with me a documentation containing my doctor's notes.

"But she did not want to watch it because my sanity was out of place.

"This includes my physical and mental health.

"I am very upset and worried because I am autistic, I started crying.

"She said, keeping in mind that she had not asked me out of my wheelchair, I could walk 200 meters."

After repeatedly complaining about the badessment, Pat went for a second but again granted a standard care rate, with no improvement or mobility, which meant she could not still not have his car.

Pat said that the test had had a negative impact on her mental health and that she had sought help from the charity for Mental Health, MIND.

"I was not entitled to a housing allowance, so I was falling behind my rent and my tourist tax," she said.

"If it does not affect their lives, they are not disturbed."

Despite her health problems, Pat said she wanted to return to work.

But she said the Ministry of Labor and Pensions (DWP) must understand that not everyone can work.

"Some people can not go to work," she said.

"These people are penalized and it's a total shame we return to Victorian England.

"They made me feel like a fiery and a real liar despite the documentation."

A spokesman for the DWP said that people who left the motor program after a DLA re-evaluation in PIP could keep their vehicle for up to three months and be offered a payment of up to £ 2,000 for meet their needs.

But Pat said that she had not been offered this because she did not qualify for that.

She said: "It has been extended for three months, but nothing else has been proposed.

"They say these things – they offer money to people – but they do not do it, not everyone.

"I did not qualify because it was in a certain time."

She added: "I have another car now, but I had to take it out for hire, which means that money comes out of my account every month."

The DWP spokesman said he was working with Motability to design a 175 million pound aid program for those leaving the program.

They added, "We are committed to ensuring that people with disabilities get the support they deserve.

"As part of the PEP program, 31% of people receive the highest reward possible, compared to 15% under the previous DLA."