Woman With Stage 4 Cancer Has Welfare Benefit Stopped After Falling Ill Abroad

A female pinch shape 4 colon crab has had her cosmopolitan in installments payments stopped and is astatine consequence of losing her location aft she fell sick while visiting family overseas to show them astir her diagnosis.

Ana Paula Cabral, 65, who moved to nan UK from Portugal 8 years ago, started receiving cosmopolitan in installments (UC) successful July arsenic she was incapable to activity aft her crab diagnosis, which required extended chemotherapy.

Her payments were abruptly stopped successful September aft she fell earnestly sick while successful Portugal, pinch nan Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) saying she is nary longer eligible arsenic she has been retired of nan state for complete a month.

With nary income, Cabral said she feared she would suffer her London location arsenic she was incapable to salary her rent and bills, and whitethorn besides suffer her occupation astatine a adjacent shop trading homewares.

“I’m expected to salary nan rent and each my bills but I americium not going to beryllium capable to pay. I’m really broke,” she said. “With this determination astir my cosmopolitan credit, I’m connected nan brink of losing my flat. I person a honorable life pinch a mini flat pinch my small things, it’s my comfort. And I’m connected nan brink of losing each this because if I don’t salary nan rent, I’ll beryllium kicked out.

Ana Paula Cabral fell sick pinch a superior humor infection while successful Portugal. Photograph: Courtesy of Ana Paula Cabral

“I’m truthful very disappointed because I was truthful happy successful nan UK. I person ne'er asked for immoderate help, only now because I person crab and I request it. I person ne'er moreover taken a sick time successful nan 8 years I person worked there.”

Cabral said she consulted pinch doctors astatine Guy’s infirmary successful London and was fixed nan spell up to recreation to Portugal connected 2 August to show her family members, including her children, astir her condition.

“I asked support from my crab squad if I could travel to Portugal to show my family, because this is nan benignant of news you don’t opportunity by phone,” she said. “The scheme was I come, I show them, I spell backmost and I proceed nan [chemotherapy] treatment.”

However, aft arriving successful Portugal she fell earnestly sick pinch a humor infection, and was taken to infirmary by ambulance wherever she underwent 2 operations.

She was advised that she was not yet fresh capable to alert backmost to nan UK, wherever she was scheduled to proceed her chemotherapy treatment, and doctors successful Portugal and nan UK jointly decided she should proceed her crab curen for 3 months complete there.

In September, Cabral’s cosmopolitan in installments payments were stopped arsenic she had grounded to return to nan UK wrong a month.

Cabral appealed against nan decision, pinch supporting grounds from her doctors successful some nan UK and Portugal explaining her situation, but nan determination was upheld arsenic nan DWP said that because she did not recreation to Portugal specifically for aesculapian treatment, she was not eligible for an exemption.

“I received a missive [from nan DWP] past week saying nan main logic was because I was connected vacation successful Portugal. That I was present and I didn’t spell back. And because nan logic I came to Portugal was not for [medical] treatment,” Cabral said.

“Of people not. I was expected to travel and spell back. The problem was that I had a horrible infection and I had to spell to nan infirmary different I would die. And pinch nan support of Guy’s infirmary I stayed truthful arsenic not to postpone my chemo and make my sickness worse.”

Under cosmopolitan in installments rules, group overseas tin still proceed receiving payments for up to six months if they travelled for aesculapian treatment, aliases for a play of betterment aft curen successful England, Scotland and Wales.

Cabral’s entreaty determination stated: “I admit that you are having aesculapian curen successful Lisbon that was not expected, nevertheless for a disregard to use owed to having aesculapian treatment, nan absence from GB must beryllium solely successful relationship pinch you getting nan aesculapian treatment.

“You person advised you didn’t time off GB to get nan aesculapian treatment, you near to sojourn family and past your circumstances changed. Therefore, nan absence cannot beryllium disregarded for this reason.”

The DWP has been contacted for comment.