# Amputee asked to prove he is unable to work



## Northerner (Aug 23, 2012)

A disabled man has been asked to prove he is unable to work by the Department of Work and Pensions despite having both legs amputated due to diabetes.
Chris Cann, 57, was left wheelchair bound after losing both legs and four fingers to diabetes.
Despite being housebound, the widower has been ordered to attend an assessment centre to prove he is too disabled to work or his ?600-a-month benefits will be stopped.
Chris, who developed diabetes six years ago, started claiming disability allowance in 2008 - before he had his legs amputated.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/9482545/Amputee-asked-to-prove-he-is-unable-to-work.html

He's had a terrible time in such a short time  I wonder whether he was in a bad way before diagnosis or if he just got poor care/neglected his care?


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## FM001 (Aug 24, 2012)

You couldn't make it up


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## Northerner (Aug 24, 2012)

toby said:


> You couldn't make it up



I've read a few stories recently about people being expected to make their way to appointments rather than being assessed at home  - the thing is, if he did move heaven and earth and managed to attend then they'd probably say he was clearly not disabled


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## Copepod (Aug 24, 2012)

Not entirely true, as part of the assessment is recording how a person reached the assessment centre. So, if he could only get out with help of a friend, plus an adapted taxi, that doesn't mean he could do that every working day. 

ESA / IB (Employment & Support Allowance / Incapacity Benefit, both "out of work" benefits) examinations have always been carried out at assessement centres; unlike examinations at home for DLA / AA (Disability Living Allowance / Attendance Allowance), which are about effects of disability on care needs and mobility, irrespective of employment, not least because children aged under 16 years can get DLA and those past retirement age can get AA. Not everyone claiming DLA & AA gets an examination.


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## Pumper_Sue (Aug 24, 2012)

As he's a double amputee, he should not have even been asked to attend a medical. That's in Aholes handbook. 

In a Freedom of Information Act, request into the contract between The Department for Work and Pensions and ATOS Healthcare, it was revealed that there are a list of Conditions and Categories for people being referred to them for a medical.

Catagories

1) Unsuitable for calling to a Medical Examination Centre.

2) Reference to Medical Advisor required for advice.

3) Tentatively invite to Medical Examination Centre.

4) Invite to Medical Examination Centre.

5) Any other Diagnosis.

For each category a list is attached.

1. Unsuitable for calling to a Medical Examination Centre.

Age >75 years 

Age <12 years

Both Blind and Deaf
Registered Blind (needs to be seen in own environment)
Cases accepted under the Special Rules defining Terminal illness.
Alzheimers
Amputation of both legs
Asperger's
Autistic Spectrum Disorder / Autism
Cerebral Palsy
Dementia
Hemiplegia
Huntingdon's Chorea
Korsakoffs Psychosis
Macmillan Nurse attending.
Motor Neurone Disease
On oxygen
Paraplegia
Quadraplegia
Renal Dialysis
Severe Mental Impairment
Severe Learning Difficulty
Spastic Diplegia
Tetraplegia
Total Parenteral Nutrition
Unstable Angina
Wernicke's Encephalopathy

2. Reference to Medical Advisor required for advice.

AIDS
Astrocytoma
Bone Marrow Transplant
Brittle Bone Disease
Cancer
Cystic Fibrosis
Dermatomyositis
Glioma
Guillane-Barre Syndrome
Hodgkin’s Lymphoma
Leukaemia
Liver Failure
Mental Retardation
Mental Subnormality
Multiple Sclerosis
Muscular Dystrophy
Non Hodgkin’s Lmphoma
On Morphine / MST
Osteogenesis Imperfecta
Parkinson’s Disease
Poliomyelitis
Polymyasitis
Registered partially sighted
Respiratory Failure
Rheumatoid Arthritis
Schizoaffective Disorder
Schizophrenia
SLE
Spinal Injury
Systemic Lupus Erythematosis
Scleroderma
5evere Depression
Thallassaemia

3. Tentatively invite to Medical Examination Centre.

Agoraphobia (offer taxi)
Anorexia Nervosa
Ataxia
Bipalar Affective Disorder / Bipolar Disease Manic Depression
Burns
Cardiomyopathy
Cerebrovascular Accident / CVA
Cerebrovascular Disease
CFS
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Crohn’s Disease
Diabetic Neuropathy
Eating Disorder
Fibromyalgia
Haemopphilia
Heart Transplant
Hemiparesis
Learning Difficulties
Leg Ulcers
Myalgic Encephalomyelitis / ME
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
Peripheral Neuropathy
Phobic Anxiety
Sickle Cell Anaemia
Social Phobia
Spina Bifida
Stroke
Subarachnoid Haemorrage / SAH
Ulcerative Colitis
Varicose Ulcers

4. Invite to Medical Examination Centre.

Alcohol Dependence
Anaemia
Angina
Ankylosing Spondylitis
Anxiety
Arrythmia
Asthma
Atrial Fibrillation
Back Pain
Bronchiectasis
Bulimia Nervosa
Cardiac Arrythmia
Cervical Spondylosis
Chronic Bronchitis
Chronic Obstructive Airways Disease
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
COPD
Coronary Artery Disease
Coronary Heart Disease
Depression
Dermatitis
Diabetes
Diverticular Disease
Diverticulitis
Dizziness
Down’s Syndrome
Drug Dependence
Eczema
Endometriosis
Epilepsy
Hearing Impairment
Hernia
HIV
Hypertension
Hyperthyroidism
Hypathyroidism
Hysterectomy
Incontinence
Ischaemic Heart Disease
Irritable Bowel Syndrome / IBS
Joint Pain
Kyphosis
Kyphoscoliosis
Labyrinthitis
Liver Transplant
Lumbar Spondylosis
Meniere’s Disease
Migraine
Myasthenia Gravis
Neck Pain
Osteoarthritis
Osteoporosis
Overactive Thyroid
Panic Attacks
Pelvic Inflammatory Disease
Peripheral Vascular Disease
Personality Disorder
Prolapsed Intervertebral Disc
Psoriasis
“Registered Alcoholic”
Renal Transplant
Rheumatic Heart Disease
Scoliosis
Slipped Disc
Underactive Thyroid
Valvular Heart Disease
Varicose Veins
Visual Impairment

5. Any other Diagnosis.

Not listed above should be referred to a Medical Adviser for advice


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## Northerner (Aug 24, 2012)

Pumper_Sue said:


> As he's a double amputee, he should not have even been asked to attend a medical. That's in Aholes handbook.



Is that an abbreviation?


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## Pumper_Sue (Aug 24, 2012)

Northerner said:


> Is that an abbreviation?



Lol they have been known as such for a long time. After seeing them in action the name is richly deserved.


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