A Scot from Ayrshire, helped by Martin Lewis, has been awarded £5,700 in profit again funds from the Division for Work and Pensions (DWP) and acquired the utmost award for Private Independence Fee (PIP).
Christopher first appeared on the Martin Lewis Cash Present Reside in January to share how he's dwelling with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome - a continual connective tissue dysfunction that impacts his whole physique - and had utilized for PIP in Could 2021, however was nonetheless ready on an end result, some 9 months later, and was dwelling off £86 monthly in DWP funds.
Throughout an hour-long price of dwelling disaster particular, Martin shared a brief movie displaying Christopher at house speaking about what has occurred since he first appeared on the present.
Martin stated: “He has labored since he was 16, however Christopher had to surrender his job in hospitality final 12 months due to his agonising sickness.”
“He first utilized for PIP in Could, however resulting from his ex-oat standing it took 16 weeks earlier than the shape arrived after which there was a list of different delays, together with postal issues.”
Talking about being awarded £86 in monetary help per pay interval via Common Credit score, Christopher stated he would have been “higher off in jail”.
He defined: “In jail I'd get fed, I'd get exercised, I'd have a snug place to dwell with warmth and heat.
“That was very a lot the bottom attainable level and I used to be left completely terrified.”
Christopher added that he contacted the present as a “final resort” out of “sheer blind panic and terror”.
Martin advised viewers how he and his group contacted the DWP whereas Lee Healy from Revenue Max, a advantages specialist who had appeared within the January present, labored on clarifying the technicalities of Christopher’s case.
Inside three days Christopher obtained an appointment for a PIP evaluation which happened simply two weeks later.
“Three days after receiving the well being evaluation I used to be awarded backdated PIP of £5,700 and £608 going ahead on a month-to-month foundation,” Christopher defined.
The delighted Scot added: “Ten months ready after which it’s performed in two days - I really feel so mightily relieved because it’s given me the validation that there's something improper with me and that I do want the assistance.
“It’s introduced me an immense quantity of psychological aid.”
He described Martin Lewis as his “hero” however the founding father of MoneySavingExpert.com paid credit score to Lee for his involvement.
He stated: “My hero is Lee Healy who I feel did much more work on this than I did.”
And the buyer champion had a message for everybody: “It will be important for me to say to anyone on the market struggling proper now for those who’ve obtained family earnings beneath £30,000 then my rule of thumb it's undoubtedly value spending ten minutes on a advantages calculator to see what you’re entitled to.”
Commenting immediately on Christopher’s case, he added: “It mustn't take the media weight that I've to get a case like Christopher’s sorted, I do know it was extra complicated and we’ve reduce it down for that movie, but it surely took too lengthy and I can’t intervene for everybody - the system wants enhancing.”
This was the ultimate Martin Lewis Cash Present Reside of the present collection, however it should return in October in a brand new hour-long format.
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