LCWRA payment help!

SpicyParsnip

Hi all - been awarded LCWRA due to a major operation, they have stated it is awarded from 22nd May. So, am I correct in thinking, that as you have to wait 3 months, then the 3 months waiting was up on the 22nd August? (22 May - 22 Jun, 22 Jun - 22 Jul, 22 Jul - 22 Aug). 

My next payment date for UC is on the 22 Sep, but there is no LCWRA element added?
Am I missing something here or has someone at UC not pressed a button?!

Thanks in advance.

Newcad

It can take time for an award to be added, but in this case it appears you have slightly misunderstood how the 3-month 'waiting' rule works, and I'm sorry to say that you are not due a payment until the 22n of next month..

The LCWRA payment 'waiting time' is three months from the end of the AP in which you first notified them of limited capability for work.
(Except in the case of a new UC claim when you inform them on the 1st day and it's the first 3 months).

As you get paid on the 22nd then your AP will end on the 15th of each month.

So if you first gave them a sick note dated on the 22nd May then your 3 waiting months would be 16 Jun -15 Jly, 16 Jly - 15 Aug, 16 Aug - 15 Sep.

The first month you would be entitled to be paid LCWRA for would be 16 Sep - 15 Oct, which would be paid 22 Oct.

KxMx

I believed the rule was if the health condition and Fit Note are reported /handed in within the first 7 days of an AP, that AP can count as a AP1 of waiting period.

Regardless of whether it's a brand new UC claim. 

Newcad

@KxMx that's a yeah-but/no-but situation, because it may not be the Fit Note that counts.*

The usual starting date of the "Health Journey" is when you first notify UC that you have a health condition that limits your capability for work.

There doesn't have to be any Fit Note (or other medical evidence) in place at the time of that initial notification.
However there does have to be that initial notification.*
You can self-certify for up to 7 days before any Fit Note (or other medical evidence) starts, but of course you do have to do that before providing a Fit Note.

So techicnally you can start a "Health Journey" by notifying UC on the last day of an AP but not provide a Fit Note (or other form of evidence) until day 6 of the next AP.
Even though you are providing the first Fit Note in that AP the initial notification was still in the previous AP.

In the case under discussion here there are no details given of just when the Health Issue was first notified to UC; so we can only assume (for now) that the first notification was on the 22nd May as stated.
Many/most people do wait until they have a Fit Note before notifying the UC, and so don't  use the 7-days self certification.

*In the case of a backdated Fit Note then that backdating would 'trump' the notification date and become the start of the "Health Journey". Such backdating can be 3 months maximum).

NedS

Newcad said:

As you get paid on the 22nd then your AP will end on the 15th of each month.

So if you first gave them a sick note dated on the 22nd May then your 3 waiting months would be 16 Jun -15 Jly, 16 Jly - 15 Aug, 16 Aug - 15 Sep.

The first month you would be entitled to be paid LCWRA for would be 16 Sep - 15 Oct, which would be paid 22 Oct.

As highlighted here, the waiting period before payment is 3 full APs, not 3 months

SpicyParsnip

Hi all - so UC was notified on the 22nd May of illness, in which the guy in the jobcentre started off the LCW process, UC50 form duly received and filled in.
Had my assessment, and then I had a decision made 4th September.
A journal entry does state as well : 
"Your LCWRA has been added from 22/05/25 for 9 months, there is a 3 month relevant waiting period (full assessment period) for payment to start."
So surely from this statement in the journal, 3 months from 22/05/25 is 22/08/25, so is the information I was given by the DWP a bit hazy, although I have checked my assessment period which is 16 August to 15 September 2025.
So the fact that the decision was made on the 4th Sept which lies within my assessment period won't mean anything, and I'll have to wait for the next assessment period to receive any payment?

*Brain Asplodes!*

KxMx

Did you have any gaps in Fit Notes? 

It's the date they are given to UC that counts, not the start date written on them. 
Any gaps impact the waiting period. 

SpicyParsnip

KxMx said:

Did you have any gaps in Fit Notes? 

It's the date they are given to UC that counts, not the start date written on them. 
Any gaps impact the waiting period. 

Nope - no gaps, as soon as my consultant said "you need this operation" a fit note was provided straight away.

Spoonie_Turtle

SpicyParsnip said:

Hi all - so UC was notified on the 22nd May of illness, in which the guy in the jobcentre started off the LCW process, UC50 form duly received and filled in.
Had my assessment, and then I had a decision made 4th September.
A journal entry does state as well : 
"Your LCWRA has been added from 22/05/25 for 9 months, there is a 3 month relevant waiting period (full assessment period) for payment to start."
So surely from this statement in the journal, 3 months from 22/05/25 is 22/08/25, so is the information I was given by the DWP a bit hazy, although I have checked my assessment period which is 16 August to 15 September 2025.
So the fact that the decision was made on the 4th Sept which lies within my assessment period won't mean anything, and I'll have to wait for the next assessment period to receive any payment?

*Brain Asplodes!*

The decision applies from the 22nd but you still have to wait 3 full assessment periods for the LCWRA element to be payable from the 4th full AP onwards.  It's to mirror the 13 week period of ESA, but done in a way that works with UC being a monthly payment not weekly.  

So that means your APs ending 15th July, August, September are your waiting period, then you'll be paid the LCWRA element from the AP ending 15th October.

[The LCWRA determination also affects any sanctions or earnings on a claim so for such claims the specific date of the decision is relevant.  That's why they don't just say 'from the assessment period Yth month - Xth Month+1'.]

SpicyParsnip

Spoonie_Turtle said:

SpicyParsnip said:

Hi all - so UC was notified on the 22nd May of illness, in which the guy in the jobcentre started off the LCW process, UC50 form duly received and filled in.
Had my assessment, and then I had a decision made 4th September.
A journal entry does state as well : 
"Your LCWRA has been added from 22/05/25 for 9 months, there is a 3 month relevant waiting period (full assessment period) for payment to start."
So surely from this statement in the journal, 3 months from 22/05/25 is 22/08/25, so is the information I was given by the DWP a bit hazy, although I have checked my assessment period which is 16 August to 15 September 2025.
So the fact that the decision was made on the 4th Sept which lies within my assessment period won't mean anything, and I'll have to wait for the next assessment period to receive any payment?

*Brain Asplodes!*

The decision applies from the 22nd but you still have to wait 3 full assessment periods for the LCWRA element to be payable from the 4th full AP onwards.  It's to mirror the 13 week period of ESA, but done in a way that works with UC being a monthly payment not weekly.  

So that means your APs ending 15th July, August, September are your waiting period, then you'll be paid the LCWRA element from the AP ending 15th October.

[The LCWRA determination also affects any sanctions or earnings on a claim so for such claims the specific date of the decision is relevant.  That's why they don't just say 'from the assessment period Yth month - Xth Month+1'.]

Brain is still *Asplode"! So it doesn't matter that they said my assessment period started as of the 22nd of May this year?

Honestly, none of this makes sense, the CAB are absolutely definite saying it should start from 22nd May, UC advisors haven't got a clue and to be honest, nor have I!

Newcad

Let's try to explain it better: 

Your entitlement to LCWRA does start from 22nd May, that's what the decision says.
That date is important for various things, which is why it is given as a specific date.

However your payments for LCWRA are subject to the waiting period and so do not start untill 3-FULL APs after that entitlement start date.

So:

• 22nd May - 15 June (Not a FULL AP, so doesn't count for the 3-FULL 'waiting' APs)
• 16 Jun -15 Jly (1st FULL 'waiting' AP)
• 16 Jly - 15 Aug (2nd FULL 'waiting' AP)
• 16 Aug - 15 Sep (3rd FULL 'waiting' AP)
• 16 Sep, the waiting period is over and LCWRA payments can start, the first one will be for the AP 16 Sep - 15 Oct, it will be paid on 22nd Oct.