Today is the day where LCWRA is almost halved for most new claimants
The amount is reduced from £423.27 to £217.26 per month unless:
You were already entitled to LCWRA on 6 April 2026
Meet the severe conditions criteria (lifelong condition diagnosed by an NHS healthcare professional)
Or are terminally ill (where death would not be a surprise within 12 months)
You've got to wonder how much devastation this will cause? And the cost of living is going up which will make things even worse for these people.
I know there's no way I could survive if my LCWRA was almost halved.
If things get bad enough I'm hoping the government will see this and do a U-turn, but I think that's wishful thinking.
Comments
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It was the government that told the DWP to halve it in the first place mate.
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I know that.
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thus government or any other government is just doing the right thing and looking after the severely disabled people and to me that’s right to me. To many claimants on the gravy train it’s about time things changed the government should always look after the severely disabled that’s my own opinion and many more I hope
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Don’t panic if your unfortunate enough to be severely disabled than you deserve all the help from everyone and I mean everyone
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Link to B&W article: Savage UC severe conditions criteria (SCC) cuts have begun
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Thanks for sharing this, @Ross1975. The B&W article was an interesting read. I don’t know much about LCWRA, so reading through it and then clicking on the link to the new WCA assessment form reminded me a lot of a PIP application.
I was especially struck by B&W explaining that, to meet the SCC, a new claimant has to show not only that a functional LCWRA descriptor applies, but that it will apply for the rest of their life. And here’s the catch, having a lifelong debilitating diagnosis doesn’t automatically mean the SCC will be met. The DWP looks at whether the functional limitation is lifelong, not just the condition itself, and many debilitating conditions vary from day to day.
After reading this I am not holding out much hope for the Timms review moving in a better direction.
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So the BBC published an article which isnt good news, they prepping for more policies by softening up the population, the early part of the article was the usual that universal credit isnt fit for purpose in the long term purely because of one metric, too many people on it.
The end of the article was a bit less bias, there was an interesting sentence where they stated, due to a study, it has been determined that the UK has one of the least generous benefit systems across industrialised countries, but yet the population now as a majority (I assume polling), now think too much assistance is provided by the benefit system. In short even though we have one of the harshest regimes, it apparently isnt enough.
Now the bit I dont like which has resulted in yet another email to my MP, of which I already know wont get a reply.
The article reveals the basis of the 50% cut to LCWRA for new claimants, is that Jobcentre plus staff believe people are claiming it out of choice because standard UC isnt enough to live on, now standard UC may well not be enough to live on, it probably is the case, but it confirms that ministers changed national policies based on an "opinion" from unqualified staff on the reasons that case load has increased, it has been done under the belief that people simply are choosing to have health problems instead of losing the health lottery.
The press and parliament continue to not accept that the declining state of the NHS is linked to increasing caseload on health related benefits. No one is managing to link the two, when its as clear as water. Not only have they not recognised it, they are about to do more extreme rationing of referrals on the NHS, like there is deliberate sabotage at this point, and doubling down of the opinion that there isnt a problem of lots of people unable to get treatment or recognition of their conditions.2 -
I don't believe that people are claiming LCWRA "out of choice". They can't opt out of the Work Capability Process if they claim Universal Credit because they are too ill to work. They have to declare their health condition/s and then UC places them on the "health journey". Whether they are found to be fit for work, have LCW or have LCWRA is determined by the DWP via the Work Capability Assessment. If someone is ill and can't work they have to go through the WCA process or they will be subject to a requirement from the Job Centre to find work.
The argument regarding choice is more applicable to PIP as here individuals have the choice whether or not to apply. I have spoken to several people who have applied for PIP as they are struggling to cope financially and have been advised by a medical professional or advice agency to make a claim. If they could have coped financially without PIP they would. I want to stress that these people were clearly eligible for PIP and in one case the person would have been eligible had they applied a year earlier.
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What gets me is that if they're ill, surely even the DWP would know they're mentally and/or physically incapable of working? But of course they have to balance the books somehow, even if a disabled person going out to work would literally kill the poor beggars.
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The aim is to give out a message that the people who are affected, shouldnt have got it in the first place, hence the BBC article claiming welfare advisors and JCP staff have an (unqualified) opinion that people are claiming because it gives more money rather than because they have a genuine need.
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I can't understand why the figures claiming have shot up in recent years? Some serious investigation needs to be undertaken. So many young people are suddenly 'disabled'?
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I think almost halving LCWRA could see a rise in PIP claims since I'm sure a lot of these people will be really struggling to live.
I know I'm entitled to PIP myself but never bothered with going through the stress of trying to claim it since my LCWRA is enough, but now because of everything the government is doing I'm feeling a lot more financially insecure about the future, so I am planning on applying for PIP.
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The problem is that some people who clearly aren't, claim disability because they'd rather do that than work, which is obviously making it a LOT harder for those of us who ARE genuinely disabled to claim.
I know for a fact there's folk out there claiming for dodgy backs and other ailments, yet they're out there digging their Gardens up and doing other physical work.
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And chopping down trees, going out running, entering Highland Games; you name it.
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You have to remember what ypu class severe and what they do are two different things they are talking about people with MS and Parkinsons
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Just do it Ross dont overthink it you can go online and do now before you apply get all paper work aboit your adhd assessment they say dont add a doctors note i always do some people do a diary of thier day to day struggles do soon as timms report will come this year
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(Personal opinion being expressed).
My Muscular Dystrophy is serious, progressive, and untreatable. Yes, I do consider that worse than some other people's illnesses. Every person with a disability can't be considered at the serious end, that defies logic.
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Yes i think we have to be prepared for a battle smart they paused this made us more tired worn out to meet the scc you will need to be sectioned or in the real progessive stages of ms parkinsons ect will have to be backed up and as said no hope of recovery ive started emailing mps but i fear they have been wprn down by the soviet style ruling slow creep of keeping them down maybe im wrong i really hope i am
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I don't think anybody can argue with that statement soapy
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