Gazette

Another Claiment forced to go hungry

A housebound man with crippling arthritis says he is forced to go cold and hungry often only affording to eat once a day after he was refused sickness benefits.

Kiel Faux, of Main Road, Harwich, is forced to visit food banks once a week and says the cold is becoming a real problem.

“I am in fear of this winter as I seize up in the cold and start to look like I’m about 60 years old,” the 26-year-old said.

“I constantly have cold and flu symptoms and can’t keep nourished as I can’t eat regularly.

“For example I’ll have one hot meal on Monday and need to make food last, so I’ll go hungry for the next 24 hours and eat again on Wednesday.”

Kiel was diagnosed with an aggressive form of arthritis when he was just 21 and was forced to stop running his own computer repair business.

“I went to the doctor and he said ‘you’ve got osteoarthritis, we only really see this in 65 to 70 year olds.’ 

Kiel applied for Employment and Support Allowance last November, going through a process of a medical examination and questionnaires to determine whether he was able to work.

But his claim was rejected last month.

 A spokesman for the Department of Work and Pensions said: “The decision on whether someone is well enough to work is taken following a thorough independent assessment, and after consideration of all the supporting medical evidence from the claimant’s GP or medical specialist.

“The Work Capability Assessment is designed to look at what someone can do with the right support - rather than just writing people off on sickness benefits as happened in the past.

“Everyone is entitled to make an appeal on a decision made on their claim.”

Article: Courtesy of the Colchester Daily Gazette