Confused about my LCWRA

alaskajade1987

i know a ton of people have probably already asked this question but I am baffled by my situation, so here is my question…..
I am currently on universal credit, on august 1st of this year I gave in my first sick note I have now been assessed and been put on LCWRA, I know I will receive £343 extra every month, does that mean I get that ON TOP of my universal credit money? ( so in a nutshell, is my universal credit money unaffected and I receive both payments)? And also my three month waiting period which was august, September, October do I get any back pay from this three month assessment period?? Thanks soooo much in advance for any answers you guys can give me…. The DWP make things incredibly unclear and I have been left worried sick about my payments, so I just wanna be confident about what I will receive in December 👍

poppy123456

The extra money is £354.28/month on top of what you usually receive. The waiting period is 3 full assessment periods starting from the date you first reported your health condition, providing you sent a fit note within 7 days of this and continued to send them without any gaps until the decison was made on your WCA.

When it's paid from will depend on what date you usually receive your money each month. You said you reported your fit note on 1st August. This means your first LCWRA payment will either be Dec or Jan.

alaskajade1987

Ok thanks so much for your speedy response I did sent fit notes throughout the whole period without any gaps  
however if my first payment is to be December or January doesn’t that mean I would also be due Novembers LCWRA payment as that would be the 4th month after the 3 assessment period months? So I should receive two lots ?? Am I correct in thinking that??? Thanks again for any more answers u can supply me with

poppy123456

alaskajade1987 said:

however if my first payment is to be December or January doesn’t that mean I would also be due Novembers LCWRA payment as that would be the 4th month after the 3 assessment period months?

No because UC is paid 1 month in arrears. If you can tell me what date you usually receive money each month then i can tell you when your first payment will be.

alaskajade1987

I get paid on the 2nd of every month

poppy123456

That means your wating period will be Aug/Sept, Sept/Oct, Oct/Nov... LCWRA element starts from AP 27th Nov to 26th Dec and first payment will be 2nd Jan 2023. UC is paid 1 month in arrears, when you receive your payment on the 2nd of the month, this is your money which cover the previous month. Which is why the LCWRA is paid from the 4th month.

alaskajade1987

Thanks sooo much for all your help it’s seriously appreciated, so just one last question if I get my first LCWRA payment in January would I get two lots of payment… so December and January’s?? Sorry if u have already answered that I just wanna be sure as money is sooo tight and I don’t wanna get my anxiety triggered off again…. Thanks again sooo much for taking your time to talk to me, it’s quite astonishing that I am not alone in the confusion of the DWP communication and the way they explain things leaves you with more questions then answers… I had no idea what was going on when they told me I was unfit to work and put in “LCWRA work group “ !!! The whole letter made no sense to me, they really need to simplify and stop with the jargon when it comes to people in the benefit system.., it’s already stressful enough with regards to countries problems at the minute.., this website is INVALUABLE… even when I looked for answers on tons of other sites I still didn’t get any clarification…., so huge high five to you guys taking your time to reassure and explain to people their situation….❤️❤️👏👏

alaskajade1987

And sorry also when you said about my next payment on the 2nd December what did you mean by the UC part..?? Sorry 🫣

poppy123456

No worries. When you receive your first LCWRA payment on 2nd January it will be one payment of £354.28 on top of what you usually receive each month. You will then continue to receive this each month.

alaskajade1987 said:

And sorry also when you said about my next payment on the 2nd December what did you mean by the UC part..?? Sorry 🫣

I don't understand what you mean by that sorry. Unless you mean this part.

poppy123456 said:

when you receive your payment on the 2nd of the month, this is your money which cover the previous month. Which is why the LCWRA is paid from the 4th month.

Then i was just trying to explain why the LCWRA element is paid from the 4th month because UC is paid in arrears.

alaskajade1987

Sorry I meant my payment in December with regards to my UC will it be more money or the same because of what u mentioned about the arrears?? Thanks again for your timepoppy123456 said:

That means your wating period will be Aug/Sept, Sept/Oct, Oct/Nov... LCWRA element starts from AP 27th Nov to 26th Dec and first payment will be 2nd Jan 2023. UC is paid 1 month in arrears, when you receive your payment on the 2nd of the month, this is your money which cover the previous month. Which is why the LCWRA is paid from the 4th month.

poppy123456

You're misunderstanding what i'm saying. Your December payment will be the same as always. Your first LCWRA payment is 2nd January because this will be for the assessment period 26th Nov to 25th Dec because it's paid in arrears. You are not owed any LCWRA element.

If you didn't previously have the work allowance and you or a partner have received any earnings since you reported your health condition then you maybe owed some money because of that.

alaskajade1987

Ok sooo sorry for making you explain that three times, but I am ever so grateful… I really don’t understand why it’s not broken down and explained simply within the letters or messages they send…. They just expect you to know what LCWRA stands for and what it means for your future payments …. 

HOWEVER I am now tackling PIP 🫣 which i am certain will be another minefield of abbreviations, and unnecessary letters …. leaving me hopelessly lost and unsure where in the system I have been put 🙄 now I am aware of you guys i feel I have somewhere to turn,  it’s  a godsend …🙏 many thanks again 

poppy123456

No worrie at all. The decision letters only ever give limited information because they are standard letters. PIP is a lot easier to understand because if it's a first time claim and you're not transferring from DLA, if successfully awarded you will be owed money from the date you rang to start your claim. Providing you had your conditions for at least 3 months.

alaskajade1987

That’s great news well let’s hope the journey to claim PIP has few bumps lol this was stressful enough if I am honest.. but you have now put me straight and I am confident in what I am due

poppy123456

Speaking from plently of personal experience, PIP is just as stressful as the WCA, however, if i had to make a choice i would always prefer a PIP review.