A Cornish mother who says she “lost her fifties” after her disability benefits were taken away has finally won her fight for justice.
After a decade-long battle with the Department for Work and Pensions, a tribunal ruled in her favour and she is now set to receive the payments she was wrongly denied.
Helen Derici, a 61-year-old former teacher from St Austell and mother of one, had her disability living allowance stripped away in 2016 after the DWP claimed she had failed to notify them of an improvement in her health.
The decision came after she featured in a 2015 BBC Panorama programme titled “Hooked on Painkillers”, which documented her participation in a withdrawal scheme to reduce her heavy painkiller use.
Whilst the programme showed improvements to her mental state and motivation, her underlying physical pain levels remained unchanged. These physical disabilities were the very basis upon which her DLA had been awarded.
“I got a letter from the DWP, saying they believed I was a doubtful disability,” Ms Derici explained. “And then I found out that they had taken two videos (of me) for surveillance.”
From August 2016 onwards, she received no payments from the department. The situation escalated in 2018 when the case reached court, resulting in a fine for allegedly failing to report changed circumstances. Additionally, the DWP sought repayment of close to £10,000.
Ms Derici refused to accept the decision and continued challenging it through the system. Her persistence paid off on 3 February this year when she triumphed at an appeal hearing ahead of a tribunal in Truro.
Cornish mum who ‘lost her fifties’ wins decade-long DWP battle after £10,000 benefits row
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GETTY“They should have done the benefit appeal first before entertaining a criminal case,” Helen said.
Ms Derici described the past decade as the most difficult period of her life.
She said: “The last 10 years have been awful. It’s the worst thing that’s ever happened to me. I lost my fifties.”
The mental toll has been profound for someone who once considered herself cheerful by nature. “It’s really difficult for me to talk about the mental impact but I was always a really happy person. And that’s changed. It’s a shame, but it’s changed.”
A DWP spokesperson confirmed Mrs Derici has now received her award
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GettyHer teaching career had already ended due to her condition before the benefits dispute began.
Helen spoke about the challenges facing those with conditions that are not immediately apparent. “I really feel that people like me, with not obviously visible disabilities, you can look all right, but you really are not. That’s the problem with invisible disabilities and invisible illnesses.”
Kester Dean, of Kester Disability Rights, described the case in stark terms. “This was the worst case I’ve seen in 30 years of advice work. There was no basis for the removal of Helen’s DLA, let alone ordering her to repay it.”
The mental toll has been profound for someone who once considered herself cheerful by nature
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GETTYThe organisation has contacted Helen’s MP requesting he raise the matter with Stephen Timms, the Minister for Disabled People, specifically regarding surveillance practices that leave many claimants fearful.
“What happened to Helen is many disabled social security claimants’ worst nightmare. A nightmare that would never have ended had Helen not had the courage and determination to keep fighting,” Dean added.
A DWP spokesperson confirmed the department respects the court’s ruling and that Mrs Derici has now received her award, adding that supporting disabled people remains important to them.