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http://www.sundaymercury.net/

MIDLANDS JOB LOSS GIRL REFUSED BENEFITS

A Midland graduate has told how she had to abandon her dream career due to a
long term disease – and was then refused benefits.

Animal lover Kate Davies, from Stirchley, Birmingham, was thrilled to land a
job as a veterinary nurse. Her new role meant she and boyfriend Will Cross,
27, could afford to buy their first house together. But a condition which has
plagued her since childhood meant she could simply not cope with the stresses
of a full-time job.

The 23-year-old suffers from chronic fatigue syndrome, also known as ME. The
condition leaves those who have it feeling constantly exhausted. Her doctor
advised her that she would be unable to work for a year. Yet when Kate, 23,
turned to the state for help through the benefit system she was told the
office was unable to help. And bungling JobCentre workers added insult to
injury by mistakenly sending her letters demanding sick notes as though her
claim had been approved.

Former Birmingham University graduate Kate said: 'I try to remain calm but
this gets me so angry. My doctor has said that I should not work. It will be
at least a year before I can work. I think it is disgusting that they have
turned down my claim.'

In September last year Kate started her apprenticeship at the Clent Hills
Veterinary Group in Bromsgrove, Worcestershire. But it quickly became clear
she would not be able to work full-time. Kate was having days or weeks off
from her new job and in January she had to give it up. Her doctor’s advice
was to not work for 12 months and Kate, who is originally from Wolverhampton,
had to get specialist treatment at Birmingham's Queen Elizabeth Hospital.


Shocked

With a mortgage to pay and only one household income from Will's work as an
architect's 3D designer, she turned to the government for help. But she was
shocked when benefit chiefs refused her claim for incapacity benefits. Kate,
who has a dog, a cat and three guinea pigs, was told she had not paid enough
national insurance contributions to qualify for incapacity benefit.

And they even sent her letters saying she must provide new sick notes if she
is to receive further payments, as though her claim had been approved after
all. 'I cannot describe how it is to someone who has not experienced it,
English Literature graduate Kate said. You physically cannot get out of bed
in the morning. One of the triggers for ME is stress, and getting letters
telling me to show sick notes for benefits I have been refused, was very
stressful. There is no pattern to my condition, one day you can be fine the
next you cannot move.'

Katie James is a spokeswoman for the Association of Young People with ME.
They offer help, advice and support to people aged between five and 25 who
suffer from the condition. 'There is a problem with the recognition and
understanding of this condition by the benefits and welfare staff,' she told
the Sunday Mercury. 'This is because there is no definitive test it is really
a matter of excluding every thing else first, if there is nothing left they
turn to ME. There is also a problem with employers who need to recognise they
need to be flexible with these people. ME is recognised as a disability
illness and she should be entitled to incapacity benefits.'

The Department of Work and Pensions says it cannot comment on individual
cases but confirmed that some young people may not receive incapacity
benefits. 'We cannot comment on individual cases,' a DWP spokesman told the
Sunday Mercury. 'Incapacity Benefit is payable to people who satisfy a number
of conditions, one of these being that a specified level of National
Insurance contributions have been paid in relevant tax years. Younger
customers under the age of 25 who require additional income may apply for a
benefit called Incapacity Benefit in Youth if they have medical evidence to
prove they have been incapacitated for the qualifying period of 28 weeks.'

Help and advice dealing with ME is available on http://www.ayme.org.uk