women with visible and invisible disabilities
The government cruelly appeals against every court win which upholds our benefit rights and protects vulnerable claimants. But the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has refused the DWP permission to appeal against the mum fleeing domestic violence and her son, who finally won against the bedroom tax at the ECHR … Read more
Errol Graham, from Nottingham, slowly starved to death after being cut off ESA for “failure to attend” a face-to-face assessment on 31 August 2017. (The assessor company Maximus – CHDA would have reported his “failure to attend” to the DWP.) His bereaved daughter-in-law, Alison Turner, went to Disability News Service and has been campaigning for … Read more
Reposted from Disability News Service: Call for second Jodey Whiting inquest increases pressure for DWP deaths inquiry By John Pring on 9th January 2020 A mother who has asked the attorney general for permission to seek a second inquest into her disabled daughter’s suicide says it would boost growing calls for an inquiry into all deaths linked to … Read more
Reviews are happening now of people’s PIP claims. This follows several legal wins challenging benefits discrimination, including Ms R F, whom we supported at court in 2017 (see the report by Public Law Project). Because of these successes, the government had to agree to check 1.6m PIP claims on whether we are getting our full entitlements. But … Read more
We got this message about our self-help information on exemption from face-to-face benefit interviews: “Hi, I’m emailing about the story you have online from June 2017 about the guidelines protecting people with severe mental illness getting a face to face assessment when applying for PIP. I’m from Northern Ireland and have a 20-year severe mental … Read more
WinVisible is among those supporting Joy Dove, mother of Jodey Whiting. On 10 June, DWP officials travelled to meet Jodey’s bereaved parents at the office of her MP, where they told her they have made many changes. They told her that Mind is providing training to staff. Read the Disability News Service report of the meeting … Read more
We are supporting Joy Dove’s new petition, Justice for Jodey Whiting, her daughter – please sign here. A 42-year-old formerly married single mother of nine and grandmother in Stockton, North East England, Jodey Whiting took her own life in February 2017 after being cut off ESA. She had missed seeing a letter calling her in … Read more
Several legal challenges at tribunal and then High Court have forced the government to repay around £1.67bn in benefits to an estimated 180,000 low-income sick and disabled people, which they were wrongly denied since 2011. Well done to Ms H, a woman who was wrongly found fit for work, one of those who went to tribunal. She challenged being … Read more
In the programme, which also features the protests, disabled mums speak about their experiences of claiming Universal Credit. Lorna Dunleavy was made suicidal by the in-built delays and underpayment. Tracey lost her ESA severe disability premium after trying waged work for a time. She was told to make a fresh claim for Universal Credit, despite … Read more
The Work and Pensions Committee of MPs has secured a commitment from the government to stop rubber-stamping benefit refusals at the first stage (mandatory reconsideration). This is a result of the 4,000+ testimonies to the inquiry into the ESA and PIP tests, mainly from disabled claimants, about this injustice, and evidence from the DWP union PCS … Read more