MUM-OF-TWO Dawn Parker is mostly housebound due to Multiple Sclerosis and she relies on her £700 a month disability benefits.
The 58-year-old who used to run a pub with husband, Keith, 85, uses a frame and crutches to move around her home in Leeds, West Yorkshire.
She was diagnosed with MS in July 2008 and has seen a rapid decline in her health ever since.
But Dawn believes it is too easy to claim sickness benefits.
She said: “When I was initially applying for PIP somebody had to come to my house to assess me and the guy only asked me a couple of questions and said I qualified. I was actually surprised at how easy it was.
“Although I don’t agree with stripping those in need of their benefits, it did seem to me that a person could easily get away with pretending to be ill.
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“I believe tests should be thorough enough to protect payments for those of us who really need it.”
Dawn struggles with mobility – her legs are too weak to carry her – and constant pain, for which she takes high doses of Oxycodone amongst the 32 painkillers she takes each day.
She has a catheter so she doesn’t have to go to the toilet and has a broken wrist, that will not heal, from a past fall.
Her condition means she can often have spasms and is vulnerable to falls.
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She currently receives around £700 a month in PIP and employment support allowance.
Dawn was terrified about the changes to benefits planned by the government.
It needs to solve the growing welfare bill, with the number of people claiming sickness and disability benefits ballooning in recent years.
Yesterday, the department of work and pensions unveiled plans to make it harder to claim Personal Independence Payments.
But people with severe conditions will be exempt from doing reassessments.
Dawn said: “I’m pleased that the new rules won’t affect me but I feel, as a disabled person in the UK, that we are always vulnerable to cuts and I was genuinely terrified of what was going to happen today.”
What is PIP?
HOUSEHOLDS suffering from a long-term illness, disability or mental health condition can get extra help through personal independence payments (PIP).
The maximum you can receive from the Government benefit is £172.75 a week.
PIP is for those over 16 and under the state pension age, currently 66.
Crucially, you must also have a health condition or disability where you either have had difficulties with daily living or getting around – or both- for three months, and you expect these difficulties to continue for at least nine months (unless you’re terminally ill with less than 12 months to live).
You can also claim PIP if you’re in or out of work and if you’re already getting limited capability for work and work-related activity (LCWRA) payments if you claim Universal Credit.
PIP is made up of two parts and whether you get one or both of these depends on how severely your condition affects you.
You may get the mobility part of PIP if you need help going out or moving around. The weekly rate for this is either £26.90 or £71.
While on the daily living part of PIP, the weekly rate is either £68.10 or £101.75 – and you could get both elements, so up to £172.75 in total.
You can claim PIP at the same time as other benefits, except the armed forces independence payment.
Make a claim by calling the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) on 0800 917 2222.
Yesterday, we revealed how single mum Cheryl Lloyds used to earn £46,000 a year as a teacher working 50 hours a week.
But due to the broken benefits system she gets the same amount working just two hours a day.
Avnee Morjaria, associate director for public services at IPPR, said the number of people claiming health-related benefits is “unsustainable”.
“The current system is a national scandal – it fails to support people into work, locks them into welfare indefinitely, and costs the taxpayer billions of pounds a year, with costs continuing to rise,” she said.
“The Government is right to address this broken system, and by focusing on supportive measures it can help those who are able to work to do so, enable people off benefits and save the taxpayer billions over time.
“However, the growing number of people on incapacity and disability benefits is a symptom of deeper issues – huge NHS waiting lists, rising numbers of mental health conditions and cuts in other parts of the benefit system.
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Are you missing out on benefits?
YOU can use a benefits calculator to help check that you are not missing out on money you are entitled to
Charity Turn2Us’ benefits calculator works out what you could get.
Entitledto’s free calculator determines whether you qualify for various benefits, tax credit and Universal Credit.
MoneySavingExpert.com and charity StepChange both have benefits tools powered by Entitledto’s data.
You can use Policy in Practice’s calculator to determine which benefits you could receive and how much cash you’ll have left over each month after paying for housing costs.
Your exact entitlement will only be clear when you make a claim, but calculators can indicate what you might be eligible for.
“The Government is clearly trying to ensure its welfare reforms deliver the right support and incentives for those who can work to do so.
“But announcing changes in a rush to deliver savings will harm vulnerable people, many of whom depend on this support to live a good life in difficult circumstances.”
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