Hi, I thought I'd say hello! DWP finally approved my assessment LCWRA

Good afternoon folks!

Long time lurker, I finally got around to registering an account so that I may participate in the discussions(s)😊. The main reason that's prompted this is that DWP finally approved my assessment LCWRA!

This is a great weight off my mind. I was made redundant during the lockdowns of 2020, and I've been unemployed since. Last year my health nose dived and I was hospitalised—diagnosed with bacterial pneumonia, it's affected my chest and now my asthma is much worse.

Admittedly I've always taken good health for granted. I've never been able to sprint far, but I regularly did weights and my 10k run times were reasonable. But post-hospital, I have to take a break if I walk half a football pitch (I get coughing fits, for example).

When I applied for sick pay from DWP, it was at the suggestion of my work coach at the Job Centre. We had been talking about my mental health—I'm on the Autistic Spectrum, self-diagnosed, but a previous girlfriend was a nurse specialising in ASD, so feel confident she's right; as a child I was assessed for hyperactivity, now called ADHD, and I've discovered this and Aspergers are co-morbid, meaning I could have both—my GP thinks I'm exhibiting signs of PTSD too. All in all, my mental health is a minefield!

I was dismissive of making an application for additional help—PIP/ADP, sick benefit, etc—because I had heard so many scare stories, such as people with no legs being scored zero points and told they're fit for work.

I have a pathological fear of rejection, as well as a demand avoidance, in which my mond actively resists any activity that might cause me stress or being judged negatively.

My work coach suggested to me that mental health is taken seriously now, and I might find the process to be very different to how I imagine it. So, after handing in another sick note, I set about doing the Job Centre health assessment and got the ball rolling. It was easier since I had already told them about my health conditions when I first claimed Universal Credit, which was the first sign that the whole process might actually be better than I thought! Gone are the days of 100+ page application forms that I remember my parents filling out whilst I was growing up.

The Big Day
Last Monday, after waiting several months, I had my telephone consultation with the 3rd party responsible for assessing my health condition(s).

I was expecting an ordeal. However, my experience couldn't have been more different! The girl was warm and welcoming and immediately put me at ease.

She began by saying something that shocked me. "Reading your application, and we've gotten your medical record from your GP, I believe you may meet the criteria based on your current physical health. If you're happy to proceed on this basis, it means that you wouldn't have to discuss your mental health issues, which may be complex and stressful for you. Should you not score enough based upon your Asthma, we can arrange an additional consultation to investigate your mental health. How does this sound?"

I was flabbergasted—whilst the cynic might say, she was only saving herself from doing unnecessary work, the fact is she was considerate of my needs and found the path of least resistance, that would make the process as smooth and as stress-free as possible for me.

Fast Forward a few days, I've just gotten notice from DWP via.my journal that I've been assessed as LCWRA, having limited capacity for work & related activities. I'm entitled to additional money from the 13th week following my first sick note. Further, I'm told that this means I'm owed a not-insignificanf amount of arrears!

I'll finally be able to clear my gas & electricity debt! (I'm a former BULB customer, and bulb stopped taking direct debit when they went into administration. I thought I was getting extra money, when in reality I still have to pay for this energy. Oops.)

Anyway, I've got lots of questions! But I'll ask them in their own thread/post rather than filing up this one which was just meant to say hello 😂🤦‍♂️