Help understanding lcwra

kez1963

Hi can you help 
I started to sign on the 5 December 2023 due to packing in work due to illness I have been putting sick notes in since 15 December and was sent to do online medical review

on the 28 February 2024 I was awarded lcwra I have waited a month before asking any questions I have put a question on my journal over 2 weeks ago asking them to explain it in more details for me this Friday it will be 3 weeks nobody has got back in touch with me 

this is not the first time I have been ignored by them when I started my claim the only pay me £45 for my first month due to my wage I received in December for November work so I asked for a review 

Had questions sent to me on journal sent them back same day didn’t hear from them for  3 weeks was asking questions on journal ever week when they answered on the 3rd week they didn’t even start the process checking it for me said they were very busy and a few days later was told the payment was right due to the payments I got in December for November work 

I  have a phone but only for incoming calls not ringing out feel like they are ignoring me again will put another comment on my journal on Friday

So can you give me any information about what to expect and when or if any extre payment should be due 

thanks 

poppy123456

There's a full 3 month assessment period waiting time for the LCWRA element payments to start. It's the paid from the 4th month after you provided your first fit note, with first payment being the end of that month. It's not paid at all during the waiting period. 

What date do you usually receive your money each month?

Based on the information you gave you first payment will be either April or May?

The reason why your first payment was low is because UC entitlement is based on earnings received each month. Although it was earnings from when you were working because you received those earnings after you claimed UC then yes it would have affected your first payment. 

Do you have children on your claim? If you don't then you wouldn't have previously been entitled to the work allowance but you do now. This will mean they may owe you some money from this. 

kez1963

Thank you poppy for you support today my Payments are on the 11th just don’t understand why they don’t get in touch when you leave messages on journal they tell u if you miss or are late for appointments they could sanction you aren’t they there to help you that’s why they tell you to put everything on journal 

poppy123456

You're welcome. The problem is when you have LCWRA you have no work coach so very often questions go unanswered for quite sometime. 

Your waiting period will be Jan/Feb, Feb/March, March/April... LCWRA starts from 5th April to 4th May and first payment will be 11th May. No LCWRA element is owed. 

If you reported your health condition when you first claimed UC, had you provided your first fit note within 7 days of that then your first payment would have been 11th April.