Elderly Woman's Pension Payments Halted While Stranded Abroad After Medical Emergency
An 84-year-old British woman has been left feeling "abandoned" and driven into a state of deep depression after her state pension payments were abruptly stopped without warning while she was recovering from surgery overseas. Marie Collins, a resident of Narborough, Leicestershire, has not received any pension income since the beginning of November, leaving her in a precarious financial situation thousands of miles from home.
Holiday Turned Nightmare: Stranded in Cyprus Since September
Marie Collins travelled to Cyprus in September for what was intended to be a two-week holiday. However, her trip took a drastic turn when she was admitted to hospital with a severe chest infection. Subsequently, she suffered a fall and has since undergone extensive physiotherapy. Medical complications have left her with limited use of her hand and "no pressure" in her fingers, severely impairing her ability to write.
Doctors issued a no-fly order, providing letters confirming she was not fit to travel. Both local and specialist medical evidence was submitted to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) in the UK. Despite this, her pension payments were suspended at the start of November, plunging her into a financial crisis.
Frustrating Communication Breakdown with DWP
Marie describes spending "weeks and weeks" attempting to contact DWP offices by phone, often enduring hours on hold only to be disconnected. "Every time I got through to someone different, it felt like they hadn't read any of the notes," she explained. "They just kept sending me round in circles."
As her health deteriorated, Marie enlisted her niece in Yorkshire to intervene. However, the DWP refused to discuss the case without power of attorney documentation. Marie arranged the necessary paperwork, sending it by recorded delivery in early January. Tracking confirmed its arrival, but her niece was later informed the department had no record of it and still could not address the situation.
At one point, Marie found herself unable to make international calls after exhausting her mobile credit, leaving WhatsApp as her sole means of communication. "I could not make calls, I could not receive calls, I could not send texts. I was completely stuck," she recounted.
Bureaucratic Hurdles and Health Consequences
Following intervention from the British Consulate in Cyprus in mid-January, Marie was instructed to complete a new 12-page state pension form, with assurances that payments would resume upon its receipt. Due to her hand injury, she struggled significantly with the paperwork. "I could not write. I had to get help to fill it in. I tried to hold the pen with two hands just to do a signature," she said.
The completed form was dispatched on January 23 and tracked as delivered six days later. Yet, as of early March, no payments have been reinstated. The financial strain has taken a severe toll on Marie's health. Upon arriving in Cyprus, she weighed nine and a half stone; she now weighs just seven stone. "I am hardly eating. I am in a deep depression," she revealed.
No Home to Return To
Compounding her distress, Marie has no permanent residence awaiting her in the UK. Prior to her holiday, she had placed her home on the market following the death of her long-term companion, who was also elderly and "severely disabled." The property was deemed too large for her to manage alone, and she planned to downsize. On her estate agent's advice, the house was emptied to facilitate viewings, but it remains unsold.
Friends in Cyprus have provided crucial support with food and accommodation. Still under medical care and awaiting clearance to fly, Marie fears further delays could leave her stranded if travel becomes disrupted. "I am not worried about Cyprus," she stated. "I am worried about when they (DWP) are going to start paying me. I am a UK national. I feel totally abandoned."
The Department for Work and Pensions has been approached for comment regarding this distressing case.
