A bid to overturn a controversial decision to strip a Perth double amputee of
his benefits has been knocked back.
Alex Scott (42) told the PA back in July how he was left “penniless” after benefits test firm Atos declared him fit to work and the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) stopped his payments.
He blasted Atos after they gave him ‘nil points’ on his work capability assessment – even though he has lost both of his legs below the knee due to the congenital condition Talipes.
Mr Scott appealed the decision to stop his benefits at a tribunal hearing in Dundee but it proceeded without him and the decision was upheld.
Local MP Pete Wishart personally intervened in the case, describing the Atos
assessment system as a “disaster” and promising to do all he could to make sure
Mr Scott got another chance to appeal.
But now Mr Scott’s latest appeal has also been rejected and the decision to take away his benefits is being brought back into effect.
Yesterday, a tired and dejected Mr Scott all but conceded defeat in the struggle to overturn the decision.
“I’m stuffed, basically,” he groaned yesterday. “I’ve got to put in another claim for Employment and Support Allowance to get a basic rate of £71 a week – which is going to be hard for me to live on.
“At best, I’ll have enough to pay for my food and electricity and that’s it. I can’t even afford to put money on my phone to get back in touch with them.’’
Mr Scott, who also suffers from debilitating muscle spasms and bouts of depression, blasted Atos workers who he claims botched his preliminary medical assessment on which the government’s decision to stop his benefits was based.
“Atos shouldn’t get away with this. I think the Atos medical was a joke,” said the devastated Craigie resident.
“They asked me about it at the appeal and I told them that the woman from Atos didn’t even look at my legs. She just told me to push down with my legs and my arms and that was it. She said I was in there for about 40 minutes, which was a load of rubbish.
“I was only in her office for about six minutes – I timed it. You couldn’t even call it a medical. My doctor told me he couldn’t give anyone a proper medical in that time.”
Yesterday MP Pete Wishart branded Atos’s practice of recommending double amputees are stripped of their benefits as “perverse”.
“I’ve looked at other cases involving other double amputees and there seems to be a trend with Atos that everybody who is a double amputee should be made available to work, regardless of any other complicated medical conditions they have,” he declared.
“I think most people would be totally shocked to find a double amputee with associated medical conditions can be assessed fit for work and have their benefits cut.
“It seems to be such a callous decision by the DWP and Atos.
“We’re going to continue to work for Mr Scott and see what we can do to have this decision reversed.”
A DWP spokesperson said: “A decision on whether someone is well enough to work is taken following a thorough assessment and after consideration of all the supporting medical evidence.”
An Atos Healthcare spokesperson replied: “We are not involved in any way in the appeal process, nor do we make decisions on people’s benefit entitlement.”
Source
Alex Scott (42) told the PA back in July how he was left “penniless” after benefits test firm Atos declared him fit to work and the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) stopped his payments.
He blasted Atos after they gave him ‘nil points’ on his work capability assessment – even though he has lost both of his legs below the knee due to the congenital condition Talipes.
Mr Scott appealed the decision to stop his benefits at a tribunal hearing in Dundee but it proceeded without him and the decision was upheld.
But now Mr Scott’s latest appeal has also been rejected and the decision to take away his benefits is being brought back into effect.
Yesterday, a tired and dejected Mr Scott all but conceded defeat in the struggle to overturn the decision.
“I’m stuffed, basically,” he groaned yesterday. “I’ve got to put in another claim for Employment and Support Allowance to get a basic rate of £71 a week – which is going to be hard for me to live on.
“At best, I’ll have enough to pay for my food and electricity and that’s it. I can’t even afford to put money on my phone to get back in touch with them.’’
Mr Scott, who also suffers from debilitating muscle spasms and bouts of depression, blasted Atos workers who he claims botched his preliminary medical assessment on which the government’s decision to stop his benefits was based.
“Atos shouldn’t get away with this. I think the Atos medical was a joke,” said the devastated Craigie resident.
“They asked me about it at the appeal and I told them that the woman from Atos didn’t even look at my legs. She just told me to push down with my legs and my arms and that was it. She said I was in there for about 40 minutes, which was a load of rubbish.
“I was only in her office for about six minutes – I timed it. You couldn’t even call it a medical. My doctor told me he couldn’t give anyone a proper medical in that time.”
Yesterday MP Pete Wishart branded Atos’s practice of recommending double amputees are stripped of their benefits as “perverse”.
“I’ve looked at other cases involving other double amputees and there seems to be a trend with Atos that everybody who is a double amputee should be made available to work, regardless of any other complicated medical conditions they have,” he declared.
“I think most people would be totally shocked to find a double amputee with associated medical conditions can be assessed fit for work and have their benefits cut.
“It seems to be such a callous decision by the DWP and Atos.
“We’re going to continue to work for Mr Scott and see what we can do to have this decision reversed.”
A DWP spokesperson said: “A decision on whether someone is well enough to work is taken following a thorough assessment and after consideration of all the supporting medical evidence.”
An Atos Healthcare spokesperson replied: “We are not involved in any way in the appeal process, nor do we make decisions on people’s benefit entitlement.”
Source
