Universal credit LCWRA

Dannie

  Hi everyone,

I am new to this and looking  for some advice  please. 
Me  and my partner applied for Universal Credit  on the 8th of June  with help from CAB  via 3 wah  telephone call , I let them know I suffer from  mental health and suffer  from  depression,  I am in receipt of PIP my partner is my carer and she gets carers element to help  and support  me.
 I handed my 1st fit note in to the jobcentre  on the 16th of June until 25th August and second fit note 25th of August to 24th of September was told by my job coch I would  need  to fill  in  LCWRA form witch I did  and sent it off on the 21st of June . 
Then I got my assesment date  for 12 of September and my Decision leter on my Journal 29 of September. 
 I was awarded  Lcwra  from 8th June and thay would send me a different  letter  to let me know if there was any backdated money  owed  to me  
And I would  find out on my next statment 
I have had my new stament and nothing  was on there so I called  them  and was advised  that my awarded  would  not be add until November  and there is no  backdated  money  this is very confusing 
As when  I look  online it should  be backdated from  the date I give my 1st fit note in please if any one can give us any  advice  on this .
Thank you. 

poppy123456

Dannie said:

As when  I look  online it should  be backdated from  the date I give my 1st fit note in please if any one can give us any  advice  on this .
Thank you. 

I'm not sure where you read that but it's not correct for the LCWRA element to be paid. In most cases there's a full 3 month assessment period waiting time and the extra money is paid from the 4th month after you reported your health condition/sent your first fit note. It's then paid at the end of the 4th month. It's not paid at all during this waiting period. See link. https://www.entitledto.co.uk/help/long-term-health-condition-or-disability-universal-credit scroll to the bottom "when the LCWRA element is awarded"

The award will start from when you reported your health condition but then you have to wait for the relevant period, which is the "waiting period"

When you report a health condition, you're supposed to provide a fit note within 7 days of that. Providing your first fit note on 16th June was outside of that 7 day period so could potentially go against you.

Based on the information you gave your waiting period will be July to Oct .. LCWRA starts from assessment period 8th Oct to 7th Nov and first payment will be 14th November. No LCWRA element is owed.

Had you provided a fit note within those 7 days after submitting your claim then your first payment would have been this month (14th Oct)

If either yourself or your partner were receiving earnings since you started your claim and you didn't have the work allowance, you will be owed money for that.

Dannie

Hi There ,
Thank you for your reply. 

I had my sick note from the 12th of June and i was advised to hand it in on the 16th June on my first appointment at the Jobcentre to my work coach as at the time we did note had a Journal as we have applied over the phone .
I have the letter ehere it clearly states that they awarded me from the date we made our UC application and it's the 8th of June.
Thank you. 

poppy123456

Yes, the LCWRA is awarded from the start of your UC claim. You then have the waiting period before the extra money is paid. The waiting period applies to everyone, unless you're claiming because life expectany is 12 months or less.

If you provided details of the fit note on your journal before 16th June then your first payment would be 14th October. If you didn't then it will be 14th November. 

Unless a decision maker decides to accept the 1 day late in providing the fit note and then pay the extra from this month. You can put a message onto your journal to ask them and a decision maker will take another look and make the final decision.

Dannie

Hi ,
Thank you for your message. 
I wanted to ask from the 8th June to the 12th June would a self certificat fit note would that of been taken into consideration , as I've told them.on the phone that I was unable to work  wehen we made the application .
Thank you 

poppy123456

You said you took the fit note with you on 16th June.  What counts is when you provided details of it so if you did this before 16th June then (as advised) then first payment will be this month. They will owe you for this now because it's not included on your statement.

Dannie

Thank you very much for all your help have a good evening.  

Dannie

Hi there can anyone  help  me understand I have just got off the phone to universal credits. And thay have awarded my lcwra  from the 16th of June but my fit note start on the 12th of June to the 25th of August is this correct  that thay can pick any day to suit  there self it des not seem  far  thanks 

poppy123456

It's because you didn't report the fit note within 7 days of starting your claim. You took it with you on 16th June, that's 8 days after starting your claim. Backdated fit notes are not usually accepted, they will go from the date you provided it and not the date on the fit note itself.

If you have access to a journal you could have provided the details of the fit note on there by "reporting a fit note"

In your first comment you also said that your 2nd fit note ended on 24th September but you didn't have the decision on the work capability assessment until 29th September so there's a gap in your fit note. Thankfully they seem to have allowed that gap because otherwise your waiting period could have been affected even more.

Dannie

Hi poppy thank you for your response we really  appreciate  your advice I could  not take it in to the jobcentre in to the 16th that was my appointment date and I was told  if you mack a clam on the phone I would not have a journal so thay had to set it up on the 16th when  I went there I did tell  the on the 8th of June when  I made my claim I am unable to work  because of my mental health and I was told to not worry and bring everything in on that date it very confusing and unfair this is are 1st time  on benefits and trying  to deal  with  my mental health thanks  agen 

poppy123456

No problem. Put a message onto your journal now and tell them that you didn't have access to a journal until 16th June when you had your first appointment so you couldn't provide a fit note until that first appointment. A decision maker will look at that and make another decision.

Please put the message under the "payment" section.