A LEADING Scottish artist has called for better support for long Covid sufferers claiming benefits after going through a year-long battle to get help.

Alec Finlay, who caught the virus in March last year, faced two rejections and a tribunal before being awarded a minimal amount of Personal Independence Payment (PIP).

He argued the welfare system is not designed for chronic conditions such as long Covid, where symptoms can vary from one day to the next.

Finlay also said little had changed in the 30 years since he was diagnosed with the debilitating condition myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) – once dismissed as “yuppie flu”.

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His comments come as a leading Covid charity is gathering the experiences of people with long Covid in claiming Universal Credit, with the aim of presenting evidence to MPs.

Up to 110,000 people in Scotland are expected to contract long Covid, according to official projections.

Finlay, 55, from Edinburgh, said he caught Covid in March 2020 and ­applied for PIP in June once he ­realised he was not going to recover.

After initially being refused, he gathered medical evidence and a ­diary of his daily life for his appeal – but this was declined once again.

“The second letter faulted me for not going to a long Covid clinic – but at that time there wasn’t one,” he said.

“So I then went to the proper ­tribunal appeal, which got delayed. In the end the hearing was in June, so it had taken me a year with receiving no money.

“The actual hearing I was content with, it was very detailed – it lasted an hour and a half, it was led by a doctor, so it was the first time I had encountered a medical authority.

“She asked a lot of very ­detailed questions which I actually ­appreciated as I understood she had to assess me. And I felt her interest was genuine.”

Finlay, who had assistance from Citizens Advice Scotland, was ­awarded a minimum amount of PIP of around £23 a week – which he says he accepted with “reservation”.

He said the benefits system is not designed to deal with conditions such as long Covid, where abilities can vary from day to day.

“They are very good on whether you can lift your arm up to open a cupboard that is above you, whether you can climb into the bath,” he said.

“It is incredibly detailed. But it can’t understand people that can walk one day and not another – and it can’t deal with a condition that isn’t defined.

“They now say long Covid has 200 symptoms – that is meaningless for them.”

Finlay, who is helping to create the Scottish Covid Memorial, has ­managed to carve out a successful ­career as an artist despite battling ME and now long Covid.

However, he can only work for very short periods of time before resting and rarely leaves the house. He said while he has never been able to walk more than 150 metres, long Covid has impacted on his life at home.

He said: “I work and then I rest. I don’t go to the pub or cinema – I can’t.

“I love my life, I am really lucky. But I am 80% disabled and it is very difficult for me to do a lot of things that ordinary people take for granted.

“I would like a benefits system that reflected my life. It took a a year for a procedure which should have been quite simple.”

Finlay said he uses his PIP for extra costs such as vitamins and will have to apply for Universal Credit once his earnings run out.

But he said many others with long Covid were in a worse position and that there is a need for better support.

He added: “For people that do ­normal jobs, a lot of them have gone back to 20% to 30% productivity. You see a lot of them trying to go back to work and just being caught in a boom and bust cycle – work for one day and you’re in bed for four.

“So a lot of employers say this just won’t work.”

Michael MacLennan, founder of charity Covid Aid, which will shortly launch a survey on experiences of claiming Universal Credit, said: “We are certainly finding the experiences of people with long Covid claiming benefits can be very traumatic at what is a very difficult time for them.

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“Part of the reason is that there has been a lack of awareness and therefore people have gone to their GP or another specialist and have their own personal account doubted or ­questioned or reduced in some way.”

Nina Ballantyne, social justice spokesperson for Citizens Advice Scotland, said: “People with long Covid should be supported by our ­social security system.

“Personal Independence Payment is one of the biggest issues Citizens Advice bureaus give advice on and the devolution of powers around this benefit and the creation of Adult ­Disability payments to be ­administered by Social Security ­Scotland are a real opportunity to ­deliver a fairer system for people.” 

A UK Government spokeswoman said: “There is a strong financial safety net for anyone who has a long-term health condition – including long Covid – or a disability and needs support. This includes Statutory Sick Pay, Universal Credit and ESA and PIP.

“In the vast majority of PIP cases we make the right decision, meaning they never even go to appeal, and through recent improvements to our decision-making we are ensuring that people get all the support they are ­entitled to as quickly as possible.”