8 June 2012

The death of Karen Sherlock, 2 weeks after she was told she would be eligible once again to receive Employment support Allowance (ESA).

What: Karen Sherlock dies just a fortnight after she was told she would be eligible once again to receive ESA. She was one of the tens of thousands of disabled people whose contributory form of ESA was stopped from 30^th April this year, because of the new one-year time-limit introduced under the Welfare Reform Act.

Why significant: Disabled activists say her death is further evidence that the WCA is unfit for purpose and is causing thousands of disabled people anxiety and hardship, exacerbating their ill-health and contributing to deaths.