LCWRA Payment Date Question. Date change reported vs date change took place

Sunflowergal1975

Hi Everyone, 

This is my first post so please be kind 🙂 I could really do with some advice please 🙏🏼 ….and apologies if it’s long. 

I’ve had 3 lots of conflicting information from UC regarding the dates my LCWRA payments are due to start, and I’m going round in circles trying to get a correct answer. 🤦🏽‍♀️ 

A quick breakdown of my history:

• 9th Dec 2024 - Became seriously ill and admitted to hospital. 
• 17th Dec 2024 - Needed emergency surgery. Sent journal message cancelling work coach appointment and asking if I need to report as official change of circumstances - no response ever received. 
• 30th Dec 2024 - Telephone call with work coach who advised me to officially report health change……but to enter 9th Dec 2024 as the date the change took place. (The date I fell ill and was admitted to hospital).

Other notable dates are:

• 16th Dec 2024 - first fit note issued 
• 8th April 2025 - LCWRA awarded 
• 18th-17th of the month-  Assessment period

On my journal it states:

“Monday 30 December 2024 11:39am

Health change

Effective from: 9 December 2024

Xxxxx Xxxxxx has a health condition that restricts their ability to work or look for work.”

So what are the correct waiting period dates please? Do UC use the “date change took place” or the “date change was reported” when working out the 3 month waiting period? 

Thanking you in advance xx 

RunsFromRobots

It's not necessarily about the date the change took effect from, it's the Assessment Period in which the change took place.

LCWRA usually kicks in after the third AP. DWP calls it the 'relevant period', but there should be a letter uploaded in your journal explaining all this?

Edit: Have you had a work capability assessment? 

huckster

LCWRA if awarded is only payable after 3 whole assessment periods. 

So health journey should be from 9th December 2024, if you provided UC with a fit note that started from this date.

So the LCWRA would not be included until AP 18/3/25 to 17/4/25.

If the LCWRA has not been added until AP 18/4/25 to 17/5/25, this is due to fit note not being added until 30/12/24.

What does the decision on your claim say. Does it confirm 9/12/24 as when health journey started? 

KxMx

The waiting period for LCWRA element is three full assessment periods. 

Backdated Fit Notes are generally not accepted, it's the date they are given to UC that counts.

If you submitted it on 30th December, my estimate of your waiting period would be:

(assuming no gaps in subsequent Fit Notes, this would impact the waiting period) 

December/January: Partial Assessment Period not counted for waiting period 

January/February AP 1

February/March AP 2

March/April: AP 3 

April/May: Eligible for LCWRA element 

May 24th: First LCWRA element paid 

LCWRA will reduce any Transitional Protection, also if you claim UC with a partner who gets LCWRA themselves, no additional money will be paid. 

Newcad

The actual date is neither from when the change happened or from when it was notified to UC.

The date used is the date that you first provide evidence  of having a medical issue.

That date will usually be the start date of your first fit note, - remembering that could be a self-certification fit note it doesn't have to be a doctors note.

Presumably in you case that date was the 16th Dec as you stated above.

The 3 'waiting' months begin with the start of you first Assessment Period after you provide evidence - In which case your 3 waiting months would have been 18 Dec-17 Jan, 18 Jan-17 Feb, 18 Feb- 17 March.

You would then have been entitled to payment of the LCWRA Element from your AP starting 18th March.
Your first LCWRA payment should have been included in your payment at the end of that AP in April.

Sunflowergal1975

Thank you all sooo very much for your helpful and insightful comments. I will take another look at my journal regarding the date the fit note was actually provided to UC and the date my health journey started as per my LCWRA entitlement letter. 

This is extremely helpful thank you! You have given me more useful information in 24hrs than I have managed to get from UC in 3 months x