Blind, deaf and in a wheelchair: Eight-year-old Ava told to claim benefits in GERMANY

Blind, deaf and in a wheelchair: Eight-year-old Ava told to claim benefits in GERMANY

A SEVERELY disabled eight-year-old girl who needs round-the-clock care has been told to claim benefits in GERMANY.

Ava Jolliffe and her mother Laura Jolliffe


Ava Jolliffe, who lives in Barton, near Preston in Lancashire, is profoundly deaf, certified blind and has to use a wheelchair.



She requires constant care but the Government has told her she is not entitled to the care component of Disability Living Allowance (DLA) - because her father Graham Jolliffe works in Germany.

Her father pays the equivalent of National Insurance in Germany, meaning her family have been told by the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) that they should be claiming help from authorities over there.



The family say they were initially told the allowance had been stopped because Ava's disability did not meet the conditions.



But they claim the DWP later said it was due to her father working in Germany, adding that the young girl should never have been given the carer's portion of DLA in the first place.



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Ava's father works in Germany


Her distressed mother Laura Jolliffe today spoke of her disbelief and said her family "have nowhere to turn".



Mrs Joliffe, 43, said: “We are exhausted, mentally, physically and emotionally, we have nowhere to turn. I have cried so much over this. We are trying desperately to get some help.

“We just feel sick with it. Ava can’t read, she can’t write, she uses sign language, she has no opportunity to fight for herself.



“We are a positive family, we just want what is best. They are financially limiting us as a family which means with the things she enjoys, that physically help her, we have to say, ‘Can we afford it?’”

Quote :

We are exhausted, mentally, physically and emotionally, we have nowhere to turn
Laura Jolliffe

The family were living in Germany when Ava was diagnosed with a neuro-degenerative disorder called Brown-Vialetto-Van-Laere syndrome.



The condition is degenerative, meaning it is not clear how long young Ava will live.

Mrs Jolliffe, Ava and her sister Libby returned to Preston in November 2013 but Mr Jolliffe stayed in Germany as his contract with BAE systems - a multinational defence, security and aerospace company - runs until July.



Their initial application to receive DLA in April 2014 was originally knocked back but then reconsidered and awarded - giving them around £80 a week.



Mrs Jolliffe was then advised by Lancashire County Council to apply for Carers’ Allowance.

In a similar incident, the request was knocked back and went to be reconsidered where it was refused again.



Mrs Jolliffe then tried to appeal the case but was shocked to receive a letter saying the DLA had been withdrawn.



The letter – which the DWP has since said was an error – stated that Ava did "not satisfy these conditions" despite her being so poorly that she needs a personal assistant at school.



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Ava is just eight years old


It added: “For children under the age of 16, any attention, guidance, supervision or watching over they require must be substantially greater than that required by children of the same age and without disabilities.”



Her mother explained: “The carers allowance team had been talking to the disability allowance team and at that point they decided to rescind Ava’s DLA.



“They said they were unhappy with their original decision. They have not given us a proper explanation as to why.



“They said Ava is not disabled enough. They just don’t seem to know what they are doing.

"The whole thing has become a farce. The final kicker for us was they said we have to reapply for Ava’s DLA.



“They are implying it is Germany’s responsibility. She was born in Preston, she is a British citizen.

“We have just had such a time of it, we have been through hell and back with her we have come back to our own country and we have had the rug pulled from under us."




Her mother's appeal


Mrs Jolliffe added: “The £80 makes a difference. We take Ava to disabled swimming, to therapy, all the things that keep her active, they all cost money."



A DWP spokesman said: “Miss Jolliffe was originally awarded the care component of DLA in June 2014 in error.



"As her father works in Germany and pays the equivalent of National Insurance contributions there, Germany is the state responsible for providing that benefit.”



He added: “The higher rate of the mobility component of DLA is still being paid as this is a non-contributory benefit and therefore the UK is responsible for paying it under EU regulations.”

The DWP said it will be forwarding on the claim to the German authorities and that the family would not have to pay back any DLA already granted in error.


http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/559665/Disabled-girl-told-claim-disability-benefits-Germany