My wife was diagosed with Lupus in 1994, she worked untill 2006 she suffers with joint pains and has had operations on both hip joints, three discs in her back have collapsed & others are on their way too, surgens say nothing can be done to help this. the skin on her feet peel till they bleed, she suffers chronic fatige, chronic bouts of depression which were and still are big issue.
She was registered dissabled & recieved DLA in 2009 & I became her carer. Then we discovered RDA (riding for dissabled) which was great she was a new person, mentaly anyway so much so she started having exrta lessons & I volenteered for a local RDA group. In 2010 we were given the RDA horse that she was having her lessons on after the owner passed away, we found a livery yard local to us to keep our horse all was well tll April/May 2012 when sombody reported my wife for not being dissabled because she rides a horse since then we've has been treated like criminals with interview after interview calling us liars we've been nothing but straight & truthfull with them but they twist everything you say to them they have even been to the person who runs the stables to get a statement so after 10 months of keeping us hanging on they have suspended all our benifts without warning so here we are no money & I now know what LTB stands for in the eyes of the goverment you are guilty regardless !! Rant over
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silverback
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This is totally disgusting ,I don't know what else to say I'm so sorry you and your wife have been treated this way .go to your local mp and the local papers get your story put in the public eye and shame the b - - -ards sorry but that's exactly what they are .x
I would agree with letslaugh63. Contact your MP, and the local papers. Also seek legal advice if you can. Many calls to the benefit fraud hotline turn out to be bogus. These people are despicable.
I agree with the previous comments it would help if you could get publicity and shame them. You say you have had benefits suspended so presumably you will be able to challenge this decision through the appeal process, make sure you have as many letters from your wife's doctors and consultants as it's possible to get. Good luck.
what a disgrace!! lupus is a hidden illness as not all the sytoms are visable to some one else. only us lupus sufferers truley know what it feels like to live with this life robbing illness eveyday!! the riding school was for DISABLED riders so surely that alone was a massive clue to DWP?! i was claiming incapacity benifit in 2005 - 2007,i had an interview and was told fatigue doesnt stop me working (never mind all the other symtoms too) and surely i can work one day a week when it wasnt so bad,my benifit was stopped immediatly and was told not to claim it again. my husband should support me (he works full time on low wage) we have struggled to keep our heads above water since. the DWP needs a kick up the bum big style and help the geniune people!!
gona have a cuppa and calm down,sorry to rant. dont let them get away with it please,see CAB advisor too. good luck
The way people are treated is despicable, I agree with the earlier comments that you should do all you can to put pressure on the DWP including local papers, MP's etc. However, I really feel for you as I'm sure like many other people in this situation you would not want your personal life/problems publicised in order to get what you are legally entitled to and obviously deserve. If you do not feel able to publicly draw attention to your plight then maybe the CAB along with letters from an MP, GP occupational health will assist in your appeal?
Sadly I feel with the new measures being introduced by this government we are all vulnerable and may all face a battle ahead of us, I have spoken to many people who have been removed from state benefits as a result of the new assessments currently being conducted - and in all of the cases I have heard I have been appalled at the level of health problems/conditions people endure, only to have their payments suspended on the most tenuous of judgements, i.e. a person can lift an empty box, or even retrieve an object from their breast pocket! Because obviously there are lots of jobs in the industry of lifting empty boxes!!!
Rant over for now, I really wish you well and hope you have the strength to fight this with the support available to you, both professionally and with this group.
Dear Silverback, I'm getting upset just reading about this! The situation must be so difficult for you both. I agree with everybody else's comments and advice. I hope you will be able to get someone to help fight this appalling decision.
Would the local RDA Group be willing to do 'something' for LUPUS UK and (with as many people involved as possible ..also as spectators) invite local media (papers, radio, TV) to report on the event - and at the same time raise awareness about lupus and how this often invisible condition affect people 'living with lupus' in their daily lives?
Don't give up! Many of us are thinking of you both ..and the horse
trouble where DLA are concerned, if your classed disabled, you cant be seen doing anything else. I used to be on full disability, and you always find there is someone always watching and waiting to get you in trouble.
this is disgustin, try to get an advocate who perhaps knows the system. i know alot of charities like MIND have advocates and I know some cases where they have been brilliant.
its a sad fact of life the less that people know about your benefits the better, there are bitter tabloid reading people out there that are more than likely a bit jealous that you and your wife are making a life for youself despite lupus. we as lupies know how painfull it is and it sounds like taking your mind of the pain and lethargy that she felt. dont give up and fight back you cant liveon fresh air
Thanks for the comments, we have solicitors who came to the last of the interviews with us they inform us they can suspend her claim at anytime. The letter telling us my wifes dla was suspended also states that she can't appeal this desicion but I will be calling them to find out because they are on about prosecuting us for fraud though there is no evidence,we've also found out that motabilty has stopped & the car we have just got will be going back leaving her unable to get around and noway of replacing it and the solicitor can do nothing unless they continue with the fraud. I will look into speaking to my local MP & our local mind office but I don't think that RDA can be of much help as DWP are only interested in statements against not for we can provide all we need to reverse the decision but it doesn't help us in the short term !
My main worry is this has left her feelling worse than normal the flare up this has caused is only getting worse.
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