This is a warning for those who are disabled and are on Icapacity Benefit and want to be/stay healthy.

There are organisations promoting better health for disabled people. Organisations such as ALFA & Central Manchester Primary Care Trust go out to encourage those who have a disability or infirmity to excercise more.

My own GP recommended light moderate excercise to keep my back supple and help my overall health. This would benefit me tremendously - seeing I suffer from a slipped disc and muscle spasms in the spine.

Nothing wrong in that, you say, after all I get to be more healthy and that is good. I agree!

So, I did what the doctor ordered and went along with Government recommendations for health improvement...

... lost my benefit in the process, went into finacial hardship, suffered stress and back problems, went into depression and I had to stop excercising (cost & loss). This caused regression in my health and ended going worse. I still had a slipped disc problem and it went worse has I lost the benefit of regular excercise monitored by an ALFA worker. I gained weight and lost motivation and any enthusiasm for life.

This is my warning to others, that: If you attend gym or swimming sessions you can be danger of loosing your Incapacity Benefit. If you can excercise or go swimming then the DoW&P doctors could see this as you being fit for work. You would come off IB straight away and onto JSA. The Job Centre would pressurise you into getting a job, that you are unqualified, not fit and unexperienced to do! Your money will drop, you will have problems with Housing Benefit delaying your application (you will have to re-apply) and it will take up to a year to get back onto Incapacity Benefit.

So, be warned - it happened to me!

You could appeal - that's if they give you more than 15 points? Hard to prove your case because you can excercise.

There has to be a change in the law and DofW&P so that disabled people, who cliam Incap (IB), would not be penalised for trying to improve their health.

You can contact the MP for Manchester central Tony Lloyd MP on 0161 2320872 and support better rights for those with disabilities (mention my name at the bottom). You can write to the Department of Work and Pensions or ring your local MP.

Then, when the law is changed, those who are disabled and would benefit from regular excercise, can feel safe that their benefits would not be touched!

I've been put back onto Incacitiy Benefit now, with it's own problems, after a year of hell; but I am not falling into the TRAP of taking up recommended excercise to suffer extreemly again.