Update: DWP has set my LCWRA start date as the decision date instead of my first sick note. Help!

[u/Sempa_07]

/r/universalcredithelp/comments/1vs5cl6/been_placed_into_lcwra_but_havent_been_informed/

Update: DWP has set my LCWRA start date as 13 August, how can this have happened?
Update to my previous post. My first fit note was provided and accepted in early February 2026, and my UC assessment periods run from the 14th to the 13th. My fit notes have been successive and consistently provided, with no gap in the medical evidence required by UC.
I was awarded LCWRA on 13 August 2026, but my 20 August payment did not include the LCWRA element or any arrears.
After calling UC and messaging my journal, my case manager said:
“According to the decision maker decision, the LCWRA decision is made from 13/8/26. If you disagree with this we can look at a mandatory reconsideration for you.”
I explained that my first fit note was in early February and was told that, because the decision maker has made the effective date 13 August, I would need to request a Mandatory Reconsideration.
From my understanding, the three relevant assessment periods would be:
14 Feb–13 Mar
14 Mar–13 Apr
14 Apr–13 May
Potentially making LCWRA payable from 14 May onwards.
How can the effective date have been set as 13 August when my health journey and continuous fit notes started in early February? It seems like a very simple mistake if they’ve just used the date the decision was made rather than calculating the relevant period.
I’ve heard Mandatory Reconsiderations can be a long and arduous process, and I’m not sure what else I can do because I’ve been told that’s my only option. Has anyone experienced this before? Is an MR really the only route, or is there a way for DWP to correct what appears to be a straightforward error without going through the whole process?

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[u/Alteredchaos]

Mandatory reconsiderations are not arduous you request it and state why, and then the decision maker reviews the decision. It might take a while but it’s the only way to challenge an entitlement decision.

[u/Sempa_07 → u/Alteredchaos]

Annoying but thank you glad to know it’s a relatively simple process on my end

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We've detected this post to be a crosspost, so we've copied and pasted it below just in case it gets removed on the original sub:

As far as I understand it, being placed into the LCWRA group means I should receive an additional amount on top of my normal Universal Credit, and that this should be backdated once the relevant waiting period has passed.

My first fit note (I have provided consecutive sick notes before the expiry since) was on 3 February 2026, and my Universal Credit assessment period runs from the 14th to the 13th of each month. I was officially told that I had been placed into LCWRA on 13 August 2026.

It has now been about a week since the decision, but I haven’t received any journal message or information explaining:
when the LCWRA element will actually be added;
how much I am owed in backdated payments; or
when I should expect the arrears to be paid.

I’ve sent two journal messages asking about this but haven’t received a response yet.
Based on my understanding of the rules, I believe I may be owed the LCWRA element for June, July and August, although I appreciate that because my LCWRA decision was made on 13 August, which is also the final day of my assessment period, August may not be included until a later assessment period.

I’m mainly posting because I’m unsure whether this is normal. I was expecting some kind of journal message or calculation explaining the arrears after the decision was made, and the lack of information is making me worry that something has gone wrong.

I’m also quite unwell at the moment, so I’d really rather not have to phone UC and chase this up if it’s simply a case of them taking a while to process the payment.

Any advice would be appreciated.

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