‘Zero points’: Dad, 35, doesn’t qualify for benefits even though he’s having his leg amputated

Darren Gilligan broke his ankle at work in 2003 and has since developed a chronic pain condition.

But the former fork lift truck driver, who used to receive the government’s now discontinued Incapacity Benefit, has been told he does not qualify for a £188-a-fortnight Employment and Support Allowance.

Mr Gilligan, the father of 11-year-old twins, was told in a letter from Job Centre Plus that he “did not score enough points” on a medical assessment.

The assessment scored him with zero points and noted that he was able to walk 200 metres and stand for an hour. His doctors have disputed this.

He said: “I’m in limbo. I’m in shock, it doesn’t seem fair when I’ve got doctors backing me up.

“It is constant pain. Some days I have quite good days but other days I suffer big time and I can’t do anything.

“My children know when I’m bad and they’ll make a fuss around me, they are so good for that.

“The thing that hurts most now is that I can’t do anything with them.”

Mr Gilligan, of Baildon, near Bradford, is appealing against the refusal of the benefit.

His GP practice has issued him with a sick note on the basis he is awaiting an amputation and his doctor has written a letter in support of his appeal.

It reads: “He has chronic pain in his ankle following an injury in 2003.

“The diagnosis is complex regional pain syndrome (also known as reflex sympathetic dystrophy or algoneudystrophy.)

“Mr Gilligan’s symptoms are severe and prevent him from working.”

Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) is a chronic pain condition that can affect any area of the body, but often affects an arm or a leg.

CRPS is thought to result from damage to the nervous system, including the nerves that control the blood vessels and sweat glands.

The damaged nerves are no longer able to properly control blood flow, feeling, and temperature to the affected area. There is no cure for CRPS, which results in intense and burning pain.

A Department of Work and Pensions spokesman said: “The Work Capability Assessment has been developed to look at what a person can do, as well as what they cannot.

“Everyone who is found able to work will get the support they need to get a job.

“Anyone who disagrees with a decision on a claim has the right to appeal.”