A severely disabled woman has blasted a government department for refusing a request for financial support while she takes time off work to recover from a major operation.

Floriann Taylor, who is now bed-bound, was born with a rare genetic condition which means her body cannot absorb any vitamin D.

The 22-year-old has undergone six operations to straighten her legs, which are bowed, and had surgeries for her hearing because the condition meant she was born deaf.

As well as XLH, which stands for X-linked hypophosphatemic renal rickets, she has osteoporosis and arthritis, both of which have left her with chronic pain.

Just weeks before she underwent another leg operation in May, she was assessed for the Personal Independence Payment (PIP) from the Department for Work and Pensions for the period she would be out of work.

“I’ve never been on any benefit before. I’m absolutely disgusted because since I was 18, I’ve never been out of a job” - Floriann

However, after she was visited by a mental health nurse, who reportedly told Floriann she had no experience dealing with people with physical ailments, she received a letter saying she was not eligible for the payment.

Floriann, who lives with her family in Smeed Close, Sittingbourne, and is on recovery leave from her job as a carer in a residential home, said: “I’ve basically got the skeleton of an 80-year-old in the body of a 22-year-old.

“They actually wrote on the letter that they agree I’m disabled but because I can feed and dress myself, I’m not eligible, not even for the mobility part of the payment.

“Even if I just got the mobility part so I can pay for my car – I’m so reliant on it.

“It makes me very angry when you see people who have never worked a day in their life who get all the help they need.

“I’ve never been on any benefit before. I’m absolutely disgusted because since I was 18, I’ve never been out of a job.”

Floriann is completely reliant on her family to help her complete everyday basic tasks.

Her sister Lottie, 17, who is completing her A-levels at Westlands School, also suffers from a milder form of the illness, but has had to take breaks from her studies to return home to help her.

Floriann has also been left without a wheelchair, after the chair she had since she was 11 broke before her operation.

Coping with her condition has taken its toll on her mental health.

By the time she was 15, she had attempted suicide twice and when she was 19 her weight plummeted to six stone. She still struggles to maintain a healthy weight and to cope with her depression.

A spokesman for the Department for Work and Pensions, which is responsible for assessing eligibility for disability benefits, said: “PIP assessments are carried out by highly-qualified health care professionals.

“Decisions on whether or not to award PIP are based on a range of evidence including an assessment as well as any medical reports and information provided by the claimant.”

He added Miss Taylor had the right to appeal.