Teenager with no arms or legs ordered to PROVE he’s disabled to get benefits
GOVERNMENT bureaucrats have demanded that a quadruple amputee prove he is disabled to receive benefits.
Edward Bright was ordered to "prove" he is disabled
Teenager Edward Bright, from Derbyshire, lost both his arms and legs because of meningitis complications as a child.
But following his 16th birthday Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) apparatchiks sent Edward a letter saying he must meet with an assessor to receive his Personal Independence Payment (PIP).
Protests outside Caxton house, the home of the Department of Work and Pensions
Edward’s mother, Claire, said she was “horrified and disgusted” when her son was told to travel from his home to an assessment centre.
She said: "We assumed his case would be treated as exceptional given the fact he has had his legs and arms amputated.
"We were horrified and disgusted to get the letter saying he needed an assessment.
Edward had to apply for a Personal Independence Payment
"They wanted him to go to Derby and even gave instructions on how to walk to the office from the station. It's a shambles."
The DWP admitted that there a “mistake” and there was now no need for Edward to undergo a face-to-face assessment.
It also explained that all Disability Living Allowance claimants are invited to apply for the working-age PIP when they turn 16.
Work and Pensions secretary Ian Duncain Smith
Edward nearly lost his life to meningitis in 2007.
But he was saved after doctors amputated both of his arms and legs.
The incident comes after a report was published claiming Britain’s benefits are some of the “least generous” in western Europe.