A Royal Navy amputee awarded just £16 a month on Universal Credit claims he was told to 'get a job' by the Department for Work and Pensions.
Kevin Barnes, 62, said he has been living a ‘nightmare’ after being hospitalised and having his leg amputated two and a half weeks ago, when surgeons thought it best to remove the leg damaged by circulatory problems.
Mr Barnes, from Plymouth, Devon, said the DWP left him unable to support himself financially after they approved just £16 a month.
He was later lumped in the category of job-seekers who must prove they are serious about returning to work.
Kevin said: "I'm supposed to be looking for work in the future, enhancing my CV, this that and the other.
"But I cannot plan for work at the moment. I now have to prepare myself for being in a wheelchair all the time and get used to that.
"Then there's the prosthetics - I have my first meeting for that as well."
Mr Barnes worked in the military for 17 years as a Petty Officer Engineering Technician and is entitled to a military pension, which DWP takes into account when assessing benefits claims.
DWP decision-makers concluded the £16 was adequate after considering his naval pension as a source of income.
However, the pension pays £500 a month, while his rent is £410, leaving him unable to pay for all living costs, he said.
Worse still, Mr Barnes is essentially homeless since his flat is unsuitable for his needs now that he uses a wheelchair and housing officials need to find him a new home.
All the while, Mr Barnes continues to pay for the property as his possessions are still there.
A DWP spokesman said they are reviewing Mr Barnes’s claim in light of his new circumstances.
He said: "Mr Barnes' capability assessment was completed before his operation. In light of his current health situation, staff are of course reviewing his Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payments.
"Income such as occupational pensions are always taken into account when calculating means tested benefits."
Mr Barnes fears the £81.90 he draws each week from Personal Independent Payment will also be cut soon.
The law states that receivers of PIP are not eligible for the payment if you are in hospital for longer than 28 days and Mr Barnes has been hospitalised for two and a half weeks so far.
Further deductions have also had to be made to his Universal Credit claim to clear debts on the account unrelated to the DWP, the department added.
"I had been working and I expect (myself) to work," Kevin said. "I just thought I would be working and my naval pension would be a bit of a bonus, but it's turned out to be my main source of income.
"Because it's considered a source of income, they take it away from you. They say, you can afford to pay your own rent."
