I've been awarded LCWRA. Does this allow me to apply for PIP or other benefits?

lollycat11

hi everyone 

im not sure I’m in the right place but I’ve been a sufferer of long Covid since October 2021. I’ve just today been told I’m lcwra after a long hard battle that I didn’t need at this time. However I’m puzzled now. Does this allow me to apply for pip or other benefits? I’d go to citizens advice but am housebound and struggling with my breath so find it difficult to talk over the phone. Thanks for your help.

Tori_Scope

Welcome to the community @lollycat11 It's great to have you with us! 

I've moved your post into our benefits and financial support category, and tweaked the title slightly so that your post is easier for other members to find. 

Congratulations on being awarded LCWRA after a hard battle! 

Universal Credit and PIP are different benefits, with different criteria. You can find out how to apply for PIP on the Citizens Advice website. I'd recommend that you read through the PIP descriptors (pipinfo.net) first, to see whether any of the activities apply to you. 

If you're not sure which other benefits you might be entitled to claim, you could try using an online benefits calculator (Turn2Us).

I'm sorry to hear that you've been living with long COVID. Are you receiving enough support to help you manage your symptoms at the moment? 

lollycat11

Hi thankyou for the welcome and for your help, my go have been really good but it’s a slow long process they’ve referred me to a long Covid clinic but I’m still waiting for an appointment . I’m on 3 inhalers and multiple tablets but they can’t help me with my muscle joint and balance issues. I’m also suffering tinnitus and I’ve had pins and needles in my feet for 8months now which sounds silly I know but it means I can’t feel my feet touching the floor.😔

poppy123456

The only other benefit you maybe entitled to is council tax reduction, which can be applied from your local Authority. UC has replaced all the old benefits.

As advised, PIP is totally different to UC.

lollycat11

thankyou poppy. It’s all so confusing. 

Tori_Scope

It can certainly be confusing @lollycat11. Do you have any further questions? 

I’ve had pins and needles in my feet for 8months now which sounds silly I know but it means I can’t feel my feet touching the floor

It doesn't sound silly at all. That sounds tough, especially on top of the other symptoms you've been experiencing. 

I've heard referrals to the long COVID clinic can take a while, but fingers crossed you don't have to wait too long Please do keep us updated on that. 

As you mentioned that you find it difficult to leave the house, I just wanted to check whether you've been able to get all of the essential items you need, such as food and medication? Do you mind me asking whether you live alone, or whether someone else lives with you? 

poppy123456

For your UC you will be entitled to an extra £354.28/month form the 4th month after you reported your health condition, provided you sent in fit notes for the whole time without any gaps. This is assuming you're not claiming UC with a partner that already has the LCWRA element on your claim.

lollycat11

Hi tori, I live with my 2 children who are a very mature 13 and 10 and they’ve been brilliant! My dad and brother have also been helping me so I’m being well looked after. I think it’s just been such a mental strain having to literally fight to prove I’m not well enough to work and it’s been so upsetting as I am employed but I work in retail. I’ve had to put formal complaints in against universal credit several times just to get here! I felt like asking them to come and sit with me for a day! I’ve gone from being a keen Walker (I won’t say I was healthy but I loved hiking ! ) to having to take inhalers when moving to a different room! To top it all off my boys caught Covid again at school this week and low and behold!! Yes you guessed it! Here we go again! My friend has heard that catching Covid again can reverse long Covid so I’m 🙏! I’m 40 and I feel like my freedom has been stolen from me.

lollycat11

thanks poppy! You’re very clued up! It’s nice to get straightforward advice that I can finally understand lol!

Tori_Scope

It sounds as though you have a supportive family, which is great @lollycat11  

I'm sorry that your sons have caught COVID again How are they feeling? I hope you all manage to stay safe. 

My friend has heard that catching Covid again can reverse long Covid

I don't think I've heard this before. Do you know where your friend heard that?

I found this article on the National Library of Medicine's website, which says:

It is still unclear how likely people are to develop long-lasting symptoms from an infection, but if someone catches covid-19 several times then, overall, their chance of long covid may rise, says Griffin. “The less likely things are more likely to happen with a greater number of times you get reinfected,” he says.

Rasmussen believes it is too soon to know the effect of repeat infections on people's risk of long covid or anything else. “It feels like [the pandemic] has been going on for hundreds of years, but it's really been an incredibly short amount of time,” he says. “It does not look as if it's going to go away.”

So it looks as though catching it again might unfortunately have further negative effects. I wasn't able to find too much information on catching COVID when you already have long COVID, however. 

Do you and your family have everything you need in order to look after yourselves?