Still confused by LCWRA!! Questions about backdated payments

We want to hear from you: please tell us about your experience of the online community.

Adrian_Corn

Good Morning, 

I have been reading all the posts on your forum and this seems to be the best place to ask a qustion, if i may.

I am on Universal credit basic single persons allowance, my assement period is 16th of every month to the 15th of every month. (with a payment date of the 22nd of every month)

I completed a "Report Health Change" on the 20/04/2018, and my job coach said that i would receive a form UC50?, this rather long document turned up and i completed it and sent it back along with all my paperwork relating to my aspergers.  I first completed a "provide fit note" on the 09/05/2018 which was valid for 3 months and marked "you are not fit for work". I have provided a fite note every three months without a gap since this date. 

I was told i would have top attend a work suitability assesment for UC to asses which category I should be in.  I never heard anything back.  Every time i went to see my job coach she sent an e-mail chase up message to the processing centre, and never heard back from them either.

Last Thursday  (02/09/2021) i went to my scheduled job centre meeting and my job coach told me that finally a decision had been made, but she could not see on her computer what the decision was.  She also advised that she had received an e-mail response from the processing centre saying that a decision had been made, I did not need to attend a assesment, because thay had sufficient information contained with the form i returned, and it had been passed to another department to calculate "the arrears".

She indicated that because they had done this she assumed that the full LCWRA had been awarded, but because of the period ot time involved 
would need to be checked for any arrears. so my questions would be:

1. Given that they have to check arrears, is my job coach correct in assuming that LCWRA has been awarded ?
2. When will the LCWRA be backdated to ( I am Aware of the three months from first fit note so i assume 09/08/2018 ) ?
3. How long roughly does it take UC to process backdated payments ( i have seen anything from 1 day to 6 weeks ! )
4. My job coach said it it involves a lot of backdated payments ( so in my case three+ years) sometimes the payments are made in installmets, is this Correct ?

Any Help or Advice would be very much appreciated

Best Regards

Adrian 

Adrian_Scope

Good morning @Adrian_Corn

I'm sorry to read how long you've been waiting, have you made a complaint about the delays?

If your work coach can't see the decision they really shouldn't have said anything as there is no guarantee.

To answer your questions:
1. Even if LCW has been awarded they still need to check for arrears as it would entitle you to a work allowance meaning some people would then find they're owed backdated money. 

2. It's 3 full assessment period from your first fit note. So the assessment period of 16th April - 15th May 2018 doesn't count as it wasn't a full assessment period. 
16th May - 15th June, AP 1
16th June - 15th July, AP 2
16th July - 15th August, AP 3
16th August - 15th September, first payment (paid on 22nd September 2018)

3. Sadly there is no set time frame. The decision letters say 1 week, I've seen people receive it same day and some people still waiting 2-3 months later. Given your circumstances and the delays to date, I would probably keep pushing for answers if I were you.

4. If they feel paying you a large amount in one go could leave your vulnerable they may initially request to pay it to you in instalments. However, if you request that you want it in one go they are supposed to pay it to you that way. 

Fingers crossed you hear something soon, please let us know how you get on.