Graham 63, had #sickness #benefits #axed wins appeal - months after he #died t.co/bHg7eM2pZS @WowPetition - SIGN the #PETITION A widow was horrified when a letter arrived for her late husband saying he had won his appeal against his sickness benefits being axed. Graham Shawcross, 63, had potentially fatal Addisons disease, but was ruled fit to work last November and had his £400-a-month incapacity benefit halted. He died of a heart attack in February this year. Yvonne, his wife of 23 years, claims the stress of losing his benefits, and of launching an appeal against the decision, caused his death. She told Department for Work and Pensions - DWP bosses Graham had died, but they still invited him to attend an appeal hearing - and wrote again a few days later to say he was eligible for Employment and Support Allowance for at least the next 24 months. Yvonne of Radcliffe, Manchester, said: “Graham would surely be alive today if it was not for the stress. “The month before he died, you could tell he was going downhill. He was completely not himself, his stress levels were going through the roof and he was upping his #steroids to higher levels every day. “Graham was talking about his appeal constantly and writing the details out dozens of times a day. “He was a proud man and what upset him most was that he thought they were calling him a liar. “It was just heartbreaking.” In November, Graham received a letter from the #DWP informing him he was no longer entitled to incapacity benefit after an assessment found he was fit for #work. But Graham, who did not receive a single point when his capability to work was assessed, suffered from Addison’s disease - a rare Adrenal gland disorder which affects #hormone production. The condition, treated with steroid medication, causes exhaustion, muscle weakness, dizziness, fainting and cramps and can lead to adrenal crisis, which can be fatal. Mr Shawcross had suffered from Addison’s disease since the age of 21 but had worked for forty years before ill-health got the better of him.
Posted on: Fri, 04 Jul 2014 10:20:09 +0000