A woman was left with just 47p after a blunder meant her benefits were stopped while she was in hospital.
Melanie Forrest, 56, was stunned when her Personal Independence Payment (Pip) was suspended for two months, branding it "appalling".
DWP bosses have apologised for the mix-up, which happened because of confusion over dates.
Melanie spent four days in hospital for a hip replacement.
A stay of more than 28 days halts Pip payments, but DWP officials jumped the gun. Her Employment and Support Allowance was still paid throughout.
"They have admitted a mistake with the dates and that they owe me about £600 or £700, which is probably £800 now," she said. "It's just appalling."
Melanie went into hospital for a hip replacement at the end of April and was discharged after four days.
She claims there was a mix-up about the amount of time she spent in hospital.
Because the payment had not gone into her account, she said she was not able to pay bills on time.
"Apparently they thought I was in for 28 days," said Melanie. "The payment just suddenly stopped. They don't realise that people rely on that money."
She added: "I used to work for the NHS before I got osteoarthritis. I would love to go back to work in the hospital but I physically can't do it.
"The money should have been through on Monday and if I hadn't rung the bank I wouldn't have known.
"Now, I'm going to have to pay bank charges."
She also claims she spent many hours on the phone trying to sort out her payment.
"There was a lack of communication," she said.
"You can't speak to the same person, they won't transfer you to a supervisor or a manager and they're not noting things down."
A DWP spokesman said: "Ms Forrest has continued to receive her ESA benefit, which is designed to offer a regular income, without interruption.
"Unfortunately there has been an error with her Pip claim covering additional costs, and we apologise to her for that and will be making a full payment of all arrears due to her."
In April 2013, the UK Government introduced Pip as a replacement for disability living allowance.
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