INJURED AFGHANISTAN HERO IN BENEFITS SHOCK............

[lagerland]

A BRAVE soldier who lost his leg in Afghanistan cannot claim disability benefit because he can walk on his false limb.


Aiden Rayner, who served with The Royal Tank Regiment, lost his left leg below the knee after being hit by a roadside bomb last year.


The 23-year-old hero, who lives in Rochester, Kent, is due to be discharged from the Army on medical grounds soon.



But when he contacted the Department For Work And Pensions to ask about claiming disability benefits, he got a shock.


Aiden said: They told me that if I could walk 300 metres then I would not qualify for help.


He added that he had called the MoDs Service Personnel A nd Veterans Agency .more than 100 timesbut had not yet got a straight answer.


He is now receiving advice from the charity Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen & Families Association (SSAFA).


Aidens SSAFA caseworker Sergeant Blue Cooper said:We will get all the facts and then try to get some help for Aiden.


An advisor at the DWP confirmed: Anyone who can walk that far will not get any help.


One local, who did not want to be named, blasted: The state treats our service personnel in a shabby way.



What a fcuking joke this country has become when we cant even help our war heroes................

[ray156]

yep happens a lot lagerland,sorry to say,the people that need,dont get,the ones on the con,do.my ex lost leg below knee,but gets benefits,wonder if its different for woman,than a guy,back to the soldier,risk life and limb for country and get treated like crap..

me i have been on benefit since fell from a roof in 1990,
4 yrs ago stopped my benefit because.....i can sit on my bum for a max of 1 hour.

[tornado]

The thing they dont tell u is its how far u can walk with out pain and,it dont matter if u have worked and paid your tax. The whole thing is just wrong.I no people that have never worked but can walk for miles cut there own grass carry there shopping back with them and they get away with it,so when u r sick they dont beleave u.

[mdt]

my friend who has never worked a single day in his life(he,s 36) lost his leg from the knee down 2 years ago through diabetes gets nearly ?200 a week in benefits and also has a brand new ford focus on dla... this country is a f***in joke imho!! why should my friend get benefits but a young lad who fought for queen and country gets nothing,surely its got to be pitchfork time? regards mdt

[Snowy79]

Unfortunatley a lot of the young lads joining the forces are made of better stuff than most. When you've got people with prosthetic limbs doing 100m in under 11 seconds and others running marathons, climbing Everest etc it's hard to justify losing a limb as being disabled today.

I've never been a fan of giving money to anyone. I'd rather they were given free treatment and training to get a job. Just cover their living expences until they are suitable for employment. Obviously there are some out there that will never be employable and these are the real one's that need the assistance.

[the man]

"The 23-year-old hero
What a fcuking joke this country has become when we cant even help our war heroes................"

what heroics did he do ? what are hes kill numbers? kids,women,unarmed men?

[ray156]

its not what is wrong with you is the problem,its what you declare on form.

if soldier had said..i can only walk up to 100 yds then pain gets unbearable and get breathless.he would have got claim.

[super jumbe]

I feel sorry for him and his family have to put up with him now when our govt raise there hands and told him to bugger off?.

[flyingpig]

This person was injured during work and for me, should be treated the same as every other person with this disability.

The problem is not with the system, or that he is not entitled to the benefit, the problem is those people who are taking the pi$$ and pretending they can't walk 300 yards or whatever it is.

We the public need to make a stand and make it sociably unacceptable, but a lot of people won't do that. They won't grass on anyone that they think may be working and claiming benfits, or using a blue badge illegally, and until such time it becomes socially unaceptable - people will take advantage, and most importantly get away with it.

And just my two penneth - just becuase you are in the army, this does not in any way make you a hero. Doing heroic things make you a hero. Being in the army is not the precursor to hero'dom. I know some right scumbags who are in the army.

[Wolfpack]

Doesn't the Army give him some type of benefit to a soldier who gets something blown off his body. I'm not saying he should be able to sit on his arse is whole life but anyone in his position gave so much deserves something.

[lagerland]

"The 23-year-old hero
What a fcuking joke this country has become when we cant even help our war heroes................"

what heroics did he do ?

He fought for his country and mine so in my book that alone makes him heroic thats what he did.No need to be facetious man.........................

[rds60h]

The poor guy needs proper advice !!!
Disability Living Allowance is what it says, it is an allowance to help with the extra costs incurred with coping in everyday life because of the disability.
So, it can also be paid when someone is employed.
Unfortunatly the genuine honest people fall foul of the parameters of being eligable for the payments because the system has been abused in the past and now it has gone the other way and the system is abusing those in need.

[super jumbe]

Our solders are caring orders to go and fight the job they are paid for, keep religion and business out of this solders, they are doing a job we are not able to do, they are brave young man and women fighting in front line not sure they will come back home to see the family they left behind.

[the man]

should be treated same as anyone whos lost leg at work imo,
lots of help out there for them injuarys at work - Google Search

[agent4bellies]

I don't mean to sound harsh to the case of the soldier (because he deserves all the benefits he gets, we made the NHS happen after the second world war, i'm sure we can help one person out)

As far as anybody else is concerned, if you do your duty for queen and country, don't ever assume that the queen and country will do their duty to you!!!