universal credit WCA result

back in march i filled in my UC50, filed out on my own over the course of a week using the guides on here. My conditions are all mental health related (panic disorder, anxiety, auditory hallusinations, paranoia, and self harm)
I sent it in and since then have been following up by sending copies of basically everything I can get hold of. However, as my treatment is spotty (mental health issues and I have a habbit ot leaving treatment when I am in work, which when combined with waiting lists and my habit of downplaying my issues to professionals results in very on/off treatment and so less evidence than I'd like).

So I was aiming for LCA as I just wanted the job centres calls to lessen as they stress me out a lot, and I FULLY expecting to end up having to go to appeal to get this

however... yesterday I got a notication to check my journal and there was a pfd letter to download. According tot hat letter they have placed me in the LCARA group, I've not even had a medical assesment

I am shocked... I really am, but also scared... a bit part of me is honestly scared it's a trick... or they have mixed me up with someon else...

is it worth my asking for a copy of the report? Or do I get one automatically?
I really want to know what their thinking was, I feel it will lessen the paranoia. Also I still have an ongoing PIP application so was thinking that seeing the WCA report might help with that - I get there are totaly different assesments but there are a few overlaps and might help me understand how they think or something. But will my asking for it make them make assumptions about my functionality? I would be asking by letter as I really struggle with phonecalls

Also... is it normal to have kind of mixed feeling about this? I know I struggle with employment, I know that the job centre stresses me, I know that whenever I am in work I get more ill, I can never keep a job for more than a few months... I know all this... but getting put in the LCWRA has made me feel a little like they are seeing me as being "broken"... I should be happy, I get that, but I feel a bit lost now lol


also, the documents on here are fantastic, howestly I would have totally misunderstood so many of the questions without them. Took a lot of the stress and worry and over thinking out of the activity

wrote:

I suspect that generally this is because they have learnt to live with them and they have become a sort of norm which means that no longer view them objectively.

Now, this can very often be good and helpful, because the reality is that you do have to live with them and find ways of coping, which is why I think this whole process can be so destructive.

ye, I think you may be right there. We are all constantly encouraged by the professionals to look at what we can do, and be positive and such. Having to turn that on its head and look at what can't be done and what struggles there are was awful... I got help from CAB with my PIP form so that wasn't as bad, but I did the WCA on my own... it took me over a week and resulted in a call to the crisis team (not proud of that) because the whole process just made me feel so useless and like i'm just not a functional person... Luckily I have support but the fact that just filling out a form can be so harmful kind of says how much the whole process needs adjusting in my mind

I will admit I am kind of glad hat they didn't make me do the medical assesment, I have been worrying about it... and now with this one out the way I can focus on PIP and actually getting my meds/treatment right


I have written a letter to request a copy of the report. If I don't hear anything back by the end of last week I will contact them via my journal or by the phone to make sure they got the request.


Thanks

so i requested a copy of the medical report and it came today. If I am understanding it correctly it has recommended LCWRA due to the "substantial risk" heading. It essentially says that they believe my mental health to be fragile and that there is the chance of further deterioration if I was found fit for work or for the work related activities.

As such I am thinking it won't be of much use as evidence for my PIP application, but it does make me feel a bit better knowing their reasoning regardless

under the “justification of advice” section it state that the evidence they used was “the questionnaire, Med 3, 113 and FRR4, and report from 2012 and 2010”. I was just wondering if anyone knows what some of these are, from googling I am thinking that the FRR4 is a phonecall (which I assume must have been with my GP as it wasn't with me), but I am struggling to find out what the 113 or Med 3 are. Also, do I have the right to see copies of these, or am I best leaving it at this point and just focusing on PIP? Just makes me nervous when I know people have been speaking about me but I don't know what's been said – I'm starting to think that on top of paranoia issues I may have control issues lol


also, thanks again for all the info on this site. I wouldn't have even thought of adding any info that could constitute as being under the “substantial risk” heading had it not been for the several pages on it in the guides