A young woman left having to bandage her wrists and ankles after a day's work has been denied benefits after a
Leah Gillie, 24, has fibromyalgia which causes pain all over the body, increased sensitivity and extreme tiredness.
Due to the condition, Leah, of Berwick, Northumberland, struggles to work for long periods of time and gave up her job at a care home to work four hour split shifts as a waitress, meaning she could sleep between her shifts.
But the physically demanding job has taken its toll on Leah's body and she now has to bandage her wrists and arms after work to ease the pain.
In a bid to get help, Leah, who also suffers from chronic migraines, severe anxiety and depression, applied for Personal Independent Payment (PIP) but was awarded zero points in all areas and told she was not entitled to support from the
She said: "I'm a waitress because it is split shifts. I was working 12-hour night shifts in a care home and it was too much.
"I thought, if anything, it is only four hours at a time but it is still giving me enough income in the meantime.
"I am forcing myself to work through migraines but it is stressful. I just feel like I am going backwards in life.
"Full time is too much, it is too tiring and most days I would be in bed in between shifts but I need to do things.
"The job I'm doing, I'm on my feet for eight hours but I don't have someone's life in my hand.
"I'm just carrying plates, which I struggle with and I have to bandage my ankles and wrists up when I get home to stop them hurting.
"I just put my head down and feel sick but I have to force myself through it. I have to eat, I have bills to pay. I am forcing myself, I'm not ok."
Due to her condition, Leah asked for an at home assessment but was awarded zero points in all categories.
She said: "As far as benefit payments go, I have just put a claim in for PIP in May but I got zero, zero, zero.
"I have since then also managed a mandatory reconsideration with a psychiatry support letter because I hadn't started with them yet, like my first appointment was a week after my face-to-face.
"They wrote down I wasn't receiving any mental health support, even though I was. I just hadn't started it until the week after the appointment was made, so they just disregarded it."
Leah has criticised the assessment process and said "they seem to find any excuse not to give it to you".
She said: "I know people have different needs and different reasons, and you know there will be people trying to claim just because 'why not'.
"But I have severe anxiety, fibromyalgia, chronic migraines and the outcome just made me out to be a liar.
"You are working therefore you are ok. I am working because I have no other choice but to work full time. It is destroying me.
"I have no life outside of work. I'm exhausted. I'm working split shifts because I can't do more than four hours at a time.
"I'm not ok. I get home and I can't move my legs.
"I don't get out of bed on my days off for the most part, again like they say you're working so you're fine."
Leah said she was left devastated after receiving the outcome of the decision.
She now faces going through a mandatory reconsideration and potentially a tribunal.
"If the mandatory reconsideration comes back as a failed attempt, my psychiatrist will support me through a tribunal but the thought of having to get to that point is terrifying," she said.
"I don't want to have to go to a tribunal to tell somebody I am ill. I'm sick of telling people I am ill."
said: "We are committed to ensuring that disabled people get the support they’re entitled to.
“PIP is a benefit that gives extra support to people with daily living and mobility issues, and isn’t based solely on a person’s illness or health condition.
"If Ms Gillie feels she is not well enough to work then she should apply for ESA, where she will be assessed on that basis.
“Eligibility for PIP is clearly explained online, or by our staff if claimants want to speak to us.”
