October 7, 2019 4.40 pm This story is over 53 months old

Disabled Lincoln woman’s benefits cut and car taken away

Chelsea cannot wash, take her medicine or even go out to the shops without help
Chelsea's car will be taken away. Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite

A Lincoln woman with an extremely rare disability broke down in tears when she was told that her benefits would be cut and her car would be taken away.

Chelsea Tyler, 22, cannot wash, take her medicine or even go out to the shops without the help of her partner and full-time carer Michael Mitchell.

She was born with Glutaric Aciduria Type 2, so she cannot eat normal food without the fats and proteins clogging up her system and potentially killing her.

The condition also means that she can go into a coma if she does any kind of strenuous exercise, so long walks are out of the picture.

The tattoo means that her life carries on. Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite

It’s so rare that she has to travel to Sheffield to see a specialist, and Chelsea believes that she is the longest surviving patient in the world with the condition at just 22-years-old.

Her condition has worsened in recent months and she was also diagnosed with respiratory and heart failure in December, so she is now forced to rely on a wheelchair.

Despite her lifelong disability, a recent PIP test by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) found that she was very able and that she no longer needed the mobility benefit.

She has lost her mobility benefit.

She was relying on a benefit entitlement of £76.90 per week, as well as her DWP-supplied vehicle.

Now, she will get the standard rate of £58.70 a week to live on, which is not enough to fund the car – even with 23-year-old Michael’s part-time sales job.

DWP told her a Motability scheme provider would be in touch to collect the car.

Chelsea struggles to talk about the situation, and is often left breathless or in tears, but she told The Lincolnite: “The car was the only thing that gave me some sort of independence.

“I already feel like a burden as it is. Now that they are taking the car away I feel very lost. How am I meant to see my family? How do I get to my medical appointments in Sheffield?”

The medicines and equipment Chelsea needs to use everyday. Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite

Chelsea took the DWP to court in 2015 when they cut her payments and won the appeal, something she might need to do all over again.

The couple has even set up a Facebook page called “Keep Chelsea’s Mobility”, which has nearly 600 followers.

A spokesperson for the DWP said: “Ms Tyler has asked us to look at her claim again, which we are doing.

“We want anyone with a health condition or disability to get the support they are entitled to, and many decisions are overturned because people have submitted more oral or written evidence.”