LCWRA/ LCW help

Guinea1010

I've always struggled bad with my mental health but never asked for helped just managed on my own. I mainly suffer from depression. I've always been shy and struggle to talk to people/ look at them in the eye.i overtime everthing abd avoid most things. I cry very easily and voice gets high pitched when stressed or actually feeling happy. I do smoke fags . I tend to shout at people alot without knowing it. I have no friends at all. Had a few jobs in the past but they always sack me after a month or so, longest job was being a waitress while being at uni. A customer said to the manager I smell bad bio. Manager pulled me on this and said maybe use a bit of deodorant. I tend to sweat alot. After uni, because of no evidence of my mental health universal credit said I'm fit for work ... I did apply for jobs but got no where the thought of working all those hours was very draughting to me. In the end up I starting claiming carer allowance for my boyfriends grandma to help me out until i find the right job. But still no success. been claiming carers over a year now but it was mainly his grand dad that needed the most help. He recently died in May. I just need help on how to claim lcwra when I get carers allowance and how do I go about this

OverlyAnxious

Hi,

In order to claim LCWRA you will need a fit note from your GP, and will then have to go through another work capability assessment. (I assume you have already failed one WCA in the past)

You do need to provide some evidence of your difficulties, but this can be done by writing about real events that have happened recently. It does not need to be from a medical professional.

To be eligible for LCWRA, you need to satisfy at least one of the following descriptors, and that is what you have to prove with evidence to the assessor.

LCWRA descriptors

1. Mobilising unaided by another person with or without a walking stick, manual wheelchair or other aid if such aid is normally, or could reasonably, be worn or used.
Cannot either:
(i) mobilise more than 50 metres on level ground without stopping in order to avoid significant discomfort or exhaustion
or
(ii) repeatedly mobilise 50 metres within a reasonable timescale because of significant discomfort or exhaustion.

2. Transferring from one seated position to another.
Cannot move between one seated position and another seated position located next to one another without receiving physical assistance from another person.

3. Reaching.
Cannot raise either arm as if to put something in the top pocket of a coat or jacket.

4. Picking up and moving or transferring by the use of the upper body and arms (excluding standing, sitting, bending or kneeling and all other activities specified in this Schedule).
Cannot pick up and move a 0.5 litre carton full of liquid.

5. Manual dexterity.
Cannot press a button(such as a telephone keypad) with either hand or; cannot turn the pages of a book with either hand.

6. Making self understood through speaking, writing, typing, or other means which are normally, or could reasonably be, used unaided by another person.
Cannot convey a simple message, such as the presence of a hazard.

7. Understanding communication by—
(a) verbal means (such as hearing or lip reading) alone;
(b) non-verbal means (such as reading 16-point print or Braille) alone; or
(c) a combination of (a) and (b), using any aid that is normally, or could reasonably be, used unaided by another person.
Cannot understand a simple message, due to sensory impairment, such as the location of a fire escape.

8. Absence or loss of control whilst conscious leading to extensive evacuation of the bowel and/or voiding of the bladder, other than enuresis (bed-wetting), despite the wearing or use of any aids or adaptations which are normally or could reasonably be worn or used.
At least once a week experiences
(i) loss of control leading to extensive evacuation of the bowel and/or voiding of the bladder; or
(ii) substantial leakage of the contents of a collecting device, sufficient to require cleaning and a change in clothing.

9. Learning tasks.
Cannot learn how to complete a simple task, such as setting an alarm clock, due to cognitive impairment or mental disorder.

10. Awareness of hazard
Reduced awareness of everyday hazards, due to cognitive or mental disorder, leads to a significant risk of:
(i) injury to self or others; or
(ii) damage to property or possessions,
such that the claimant require supervision for the majority of the time to maintain safety.

11. Initiating and completing personal action (which means planning, organisation, problem solving, prioritising or switching tasks).
Cannot, due to impaired mental function, reliably initiate or complete at least 2 sequential personal actions.

12. Coping with change.
Cannot cope with any change, due to cognitive impairment or mental disorder, to the extent that day-to-day life cannot be managed.

13. Coping with social engagement, due to cognitive impairment or mental disorder.
Engagement in social contact is always precluded due to difficulty relating to others or significant distress experienced by the claimant.

14. Appropriateness of behaviour with other people, due to cognitive impairment or mental disorder.
Has, on a daily basis, uncontrollable episodes of aggressive or disinhibited behaviour that would be unreasonable in any workplace.

15. Conveying food or drink to the mouth.
(a) Cannot convey food or drink to the claimant’s own mouth without receiving physical assistance from someone else;
(b) Cannot convey food or drink to the claimant’s own mouth without repeatedly stopping, experiencing breathlessness or severe discomfort;
(c) Cannot convey food or drink to the claimant’s own mouth without receiving regular prompting given by someone else in the claimant’s presence; or
(d) Owing to a severe disorder of mood or behaviour, fails to convey food or drink to the claimant’s own mouth without receiving:
(i) physical assistance from someone else; or
(ii) regular prompting given by someone else in the claimant’s presence.

16. Chewing or swallowing food or drink.
(a) Cannot chew or swallow food or drink;
(b) Cannot chew or swallow food or drink without repeatedly stopping, experiencing breathlessness or severe discomfort;
(c) Cannot chew or swallow food or drink without repeatedly receiving regular prompting given by someone else in the claimant’s presence; or
(d) Owing to a severe disorder of mood or behaviour, fails to—
(i) chew or swallow food or drink; or
(ii) chew or swallow food or drink without regular prompting given by someone else in the claimant’s presence.

Rosie_Scope

Hi @Guinea1010, welcome to the community. OverlyAnxious has given some good advice so far about claiming for LCWRA, but I just wanted to say hello and welcome too.

Are you getting any support for your mental health? Your GP might be able to start something up for you that you can then use as evidence for benefit claims should you need to. You don't always need medical evidence to make a claim for LCWRA but some people say it has helped their case.

You could try using a benefits calculator to see if there's anything more you could be claiming to help you out:

https://benefits-calculator.turn2us.org.uk/

If you do ever feel like you'd like to give work another go, Scope have some employment services that might be worth a look. No pressure at all if you feel like you can't manage it, I just thought I'd mention it 😊

Employment support services | Disability charity Scope UK