Worried about upcoming LCWRA change and deadlines, have some questions

BlueTurtle

Hello.

I'm currently on Universal Credit with LCW, and have been for several years. I believe I always should have been on LCWRA from the start, but they assessed me as LCW and I didn't fight it. My health conditions have been getting worse (both by deteriorating, and me getting new conditions). So now I think I'm even more qualified for LCWRA. Even putting the points aside, I believe I fit one of the special descriptors for jumping straight to LCWRA (difficulty swallowing).

I've been aware for some time that LCWRA is being changed in April 2026, and was under the impression that I should try to get switched to LCWRA before this deadline. I've been delaying doing this because of how my health conditions affect me, making everything so hard to do.

Today, I was doing some reading and suddenly came across information saying that actually the deadline is this month (!!!???) and for some people it may already be too late. What?!

After further reading, I think that I'm still within the time limit, but it's very tight. My UC page says "The amount you get is based on your circumstances from 23 November to 22 December 2025", and I think that means that's what my assessment period is. My understanding is this means 22 December is my deadline? Because the LCWRA is being changed on 6 April, and the LCWRA needs to apply from three assessment periods before then… Am I understanding all this right?

But then I also read that if you're already on LCW, the three-month thing doesn't apply? Meaning that my deadline would actually be 22 March. Is that right?

This is all very confusing and frightening. I didn't realise it was already the last minute for all this. I thought we had until April!

I hurriedly went on my UC account and filed the change of health conditions, adding my newer ones to the list. It asked me for the "date of change", and I wasn't sure what this meant exactly. Date my symptoms started? Date I was diagnosed? Today's date? What do I do when I'm adding multiple new conditions? What do I do when my existing conditions have just been gradually getting worse?

Well, I just logged in the date of change as 1 Jan 2024, because I feel like it's been roughly 2-3 years that it's really gotten significantly worse (even though I do think I should've been on LCWRA from the start). But now I'm wondering if I messed up. Will they be concerned about me reporting changes two years late? If they somehow decided to take LCW away instead of adding LCWRA, would I get some kind of punishment since they would apply that no-LCW for the past two years?

Also, am I even done now? I filed the change of circumstances, but is that enough? I read that I need to submit fit notes or other medical evidence? but there's no option to do that anywhere on the UC page as far as I can tell. It's also not clear whether or not filing this actually triggers a reassessment for LCWRA. Do I have to explicitly ask them to reassess?

Please advise. Thanks in advance. Sorry for the long post.

Tonkat79

Hi, i applied it says officially in my journal I added sick note 30th September. I filled in the form for LCRW sometime in October. I dunno if I'll get new or old rate. Because I won't qualify for payment until end of December then they could delay my assessment. Im wondering if I should ask doctors for letters. I submitted.my social care assessment to show my daily problems. If I get awarded it, will I get old rate or April rate? Im confused aswell

Tonkat79

LCRWA

Kimi87

As long as the WCA process starts before 6 April then LCWRA will be paid at the higher rate.

https://www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/news/dwp-expects-to-clear-wca-reassessments-backlog-in-six-months

https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/instructions_regarding_work_capa

BlueTurtle

Thank you, that's a bit of a relief. So my understanding is that there's no huge rush for me because I'm in LCW, but for people not in LCW then the deadline is imminent.

So is it enough to have simply filed the change of circumstances online? Will that trigger the reassessment? Or do I need to explicitly ask them to reassess?

laura16241624

Currently in a very similar position myself - receiving LCW but my health conditions have worsened and want to put in a request for a reassessment before March (been putting it off similarly to you due to mental health reasons). I believe if I put in the request before March then I will still be eligible for the higher rate if I am reassessed and confirmed for LCWRA.
I am wondering if the change of circumstances you competed in December did trigger the reassessment for you? I am just wondering the best way to go about doing it all before March.

Any help would be appreciated. Thank you!

BlueTurtle

Hello. I did file the change of circumstances. I should have kept screenshots of what I submitted, but unfortunately I didn't. But I remember I added several new conditions and put the date of change as around two years ago.

Just in case, I also posted a message on my online journal, saying that I've submitted a change of health conditions as they have deteriorated and that I would like a referral for WCA as I believe I am eligible for LCWRA. I took a screenshot of my journal post as evidence.

I never heard anything back from them. No text messages, no reply to my journal message. When I saw my work coach for my monthly check-in, he didn't say anything about it.

They have been telling me for a long time that I'm due for a review, but it never happened. I'm guessing that I'm still just in the queue for a normal review, and it'll probably happen eventually but with no urgency, rather than them referring for me a new WCA. But whenever that review happens, I think it should apply from the date I submitted my chance of circumstances. I have the journal evidence if needed to prove that. So if they decided to not give me the current LCWRA, I could probably dispute it.

I hope that's okay. Who knows.