A GRANDFATHER struck down by cancer has been told to live off £75 a week, yet his mortgage alone is almost 10 times that amount a month.
Raymond Coduri, 62, gave up work after being diagnosed with cancer of the mouth in 2006.
His wife, Valerie, had to give up her job as a carer to look after her husband, meaning the Honley couple have no money coming in.
But after applying for benefits – including incapacity benefits and council tax credits – they have been given just £75.40p to live off between them.
It means they are struggling to pay their £700 a month mortgage and face tough money problems.
Mrs Coduri, who worked at Lindley Grange Nursing Home until early this month, says the couple have no savings to live off.
She said: “We went to the Citizens Advice Bureau to see what help we could get and they gave us all these application forms to fill in.
“We put in for disability living allowance (DLA), which was denied, so we have to wait 11 weeks to appeal.
“It was the same for council tax credits and so on. It’s quite a struggle for us.
“We’ve got gas and electric on a meter and bills coming in left, right and centre. I can’t pay them.”
Mr Coduri worked for HNB Precision in Honley for 14 years until he became ill.
He has had two operations, a 16-hour blood transfusion and battled severe anaemia and a heart condition.
He continued to work whenever he could, but unfortunately had to give up in March this year when it got too much for him.
It meant he lost his Statutory Sick Pay entitlement.
By October his wife had to give up her job as a carer and domestic supervisor to look after her husband full time.
The couple’s daughter, Victoria, said: “My dad has worked all his life.
“Until a couple of years ago he was an outgoing, active man, but then he was struck down with cancer of the mouth which led to weeks in hospital.
“The benefits system is a total sham. How can they live off very little money? Haven’t they gone through enough already?”
A spokesman for the Department of Work And Pensions said: “We do not comment on individual cases, however, entitlement to DLA/Attendance Allowance is not based on the disability a person has, but on their requirement for long-term personal care and/or help with mobility.
“Where benefits are disallowed there is always the right to appeal and where someone believes we have not used the correct information to make a decision on their entitlement we encourage them to ask us to check this and explain the decision.
“Any changes in circumstances should be notified as soon as possible to ensure full and correct entitlement to benefits. In certain circumstances, a representative can visit customers to make sure they are not missing out.”
