Who Qualifies for the Severe Conditions Criteria? Conditions, Evidence and Refusals

Updated October 2026

There is no list of conditions that qualify for the Severe Conditions Criteria. Since 6 April 2026, regulation 40A of the Universal Credit Regulations 2013 makes you a severe conditions criteria claimant if you have LCWRA from the activities and at least one LCWRA descriptor applies to you constantly and for the rest of your life, because of a lifelong condition diagnosed by a qualified health professional in NHS care. What decides it is how your condition affects one of 22 descriptors, how often and for how long, not the name of the diagnosis. On a new claim it is worth £429.80 a month instead of £217.26.

The Short Answer

• No list of conditions: the test is built on the 22 LCWRA descriptors in Schedule 7, not on diagnoses.
• Four tests: LCWRA from a descriptor; that descriptor applies at all times or every time you try, for the rest of your life; the condition behind it is lifelong; and it was diagnosed by a qualified professional in NHS care (Health and Social Care in Northern Ireland).
• Stricter than LCWRA: LCWRA needs a descriptor for the majority of the time. The criteria need it constantly, so fluctuating conditions usually do not meet them.
• Substantial risk does not count: nor do the cancer treatment, pregnancy risk and terminal illness routes. The criteria need LCWRA from a descriptor.
• The money: £429.80 a month instead of £217.26 if you first told Universal Credit about your condition on or after 6 April 2026, a difference of £212.54 a month. Pre-2026 claimants and people who are terminally ill already get £429.80.
• No routine reassessment: GOV.UK says people assessed as having a severe, lifelong condition will not usually need another assessment.

Is There a List of Conditions for the Severe Conditions Criteria?

No. Neither the law nor the DWP guidance we have read contains one. The test in regulation 40A starts from the LCWRA descriptors: that "at least one of the descriptors set out in Schedule 7 constantly applies to the claimant and will do so for the rest of the claimant's life." Those 22 descriptors cover 16 activities, from mobilising and transferring between seats to coping with change, social contact and eating and drinking. You can read every one of them, word for word, in our LCWRA checker.

The DWP's guidance for the health professionals who carry out Work Capability Assessments has a table of the four criteria they must check, not a list of diagnoses. It notes that some lifelong conditions are present from birth and others develop or are acquired later in life. Two people with the same diagnosis can get different answers, because one may have a descriptor that applies all the time and the other may not.

GOV.UK puts it in plain words. Your condition or disability "means you cannot work", "will last your whole life", "will not get better" and "is officially diagnosed by a health professional".

The Four Tests, One by One

1. LCWRA from the activities

You must have limited capability for work and work-related activity (LCWRA) on an assessment of the Schedule 7 activities. If you do not have LCWRA yet, that comes first: our guide to LCW and LCWRA explains the difference.

2. Constantly, and for the rest of your life

At least one descriptor must apply "constantly" and keep doing so for the rest of your life. Regulation 40A(4) defines constantly: the descriptor applies "at all times or, as the case may be, on all occasions on which the claimant undertakes or attempts to undertake the activity". The DWP guidance adds that there must be no realistic prospect of recovery of function.

3. A lifelong condition causes it

The difficulty must come from a specific disease or disablement that you "will have for the rest of their life", in the words of regulation 40A(3). Descriptors 1 to 8, 15(a), 15(b), 16(a) and 16(b) need a bodily disease or disablement; descriptors 9 to 14, 15(c), 15(d), 16(c) and 16(d) a mental illness or disablement. A condition that may get better or go away does not meet this test.

4. Diagnosed by a qualified professional in NHS care

The condition must have been "diagnosed by an appropriately qualified health care professional in the course of the provision of NHS services". In Northern Ireland, regulation 41A of the Universal Credit Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2016 says the same with health and social care services in place of NHS services.

What "Constantly" Means if Your Condition Fluctuates

This is the test a condition that varies is most likely to fail, so it is worth being clear about it. LCWRA itself only needs a descriptor to apply for the majority of the time or on the majority of the occasions you try (regulation 40(4)). The criteria ask for at all times or on all occasions. If there are good days, or some attempts that go differently, the descriptor does not apply constantly on the words of the law, and the criteria are unlikely to be met.

The DWP guidance for its health professionals describes the first criterion slightly differently: someone who meets LCWRA from the activities and "always would meet this at repeated / future assessments". The two wordings are not identical, and we have not found any decision that settles how they fit together. What does not change is how to answer: describe exactly what happens each time you try, and how often. Do not describe something as every time if it is not. The DWP checks your form against your medical evidence and the assessment, and an honest "most of the time" still counts towards LCWRA at £217.26 a month.

Mental Health, Learning Disability and Cognitive Conditions

The mental descriptors (9 to 14 and the prompting descriptors in activities 15 and 16) count in exactly the same way as the physical ones. They need a mental illness or disablement that is lifelong and diagnosed in NHS care, and the descriptor must apply constantly.

The WCA handbook gives one example where the criteria may be considered: a young adult with a very significant degree of learning disability, where cognitive impairment in a number of areas means they need a high level of support and all management and support strategies have been exhausted. Where a condition is expected to improve with treatment, therapy or time, as many mental health conditions can, the "for the rest of your life" and "no realistic prospect of recovery" tests are unlikely to be met, even when LCWRA clearly is.

Does a Private Diagnosis Count?

The law says the diagnosis must be made "in the course of the provision of NHS services". The DWP's guidance for its health professionals goes a little further: it accepts a formal diagnosis by a qualified and regulated professional outside the NHS "as long as there is documented evidence within the NHS record and it aligns with NHS best practice".

So if you were diagnosed privately, the practical step is to ask your GP whether they accept the diagnosis and have recorded it in your NHS record. Copies of what your GP practice holds about you are normally free under UK GDPR (Article 12(5)), so you can check what the record says.

Routes That Do Not Count

You can be treated as having LCWRA without any descriptor, for example because of substantial risk, cancer treatment, a pregnancy risk or terminal illness. None of these can make you a severe conditions criteria claimant on its own: the DWP guidance says its health professionals must not advise the criteria where LCWRA is based solely on one of these "treat as" rules. If your LCWRA came that way, the criteria would need a separate assessment of the activities.

Treatment is a point to watch too. The LCWRA test in regulation 40(3) counts a difficulty that arises "as a direct result of treatment" for a condition. Regulation 40A(3) has no such words: it speaks only of the disease or disablement. On our reading of the text, a limitation caused by the side effects of treatment rather than by the condition itself may not meet the criteria. We have not found DWP guidance on this point.

Who Already Gets the Higher Amount Anyway

For some people the criteria add no money, although they can still mean no routine reassessment:

• Pre-2026 claimants: your Universal Credit included the LCWRA element before 6 April 2026 and has kept it without a break, or one of the Schedule 5A situations applied to you before that date, such as waiting for your first assessment or being on ESA with the support component (regulation 27A). Our guide to the 2026 LCWRA rates goes through each one.
• People who are terminally ill: they get £429.80 whenever they claim.
• Couples: if you both have LCWRA you get one element, at the higher amount if either of you qualifies for it.

The Evidence That Helps

The WCA50 questionnaire asks you to send "any supporting medical evidence you already have" if you think you meet the criteria. It also says not to ask or pay for new information. The evidence that maps onto each test is usually already in your records:

• The diagnosis: the clinic letter or report that gave it, and your GP summary or problem list.
• Lifelong, and the prognosis: specialist letters that say the condition is lifelong or that no improvement is expected.
• Constantly: occupational therapy, physiotherapy or speech and language reports, a care or support plan or a statement from the person who helps you, describing what happens every time.
• LCWRA: your decision letter and the WCA report. Our guide shows how to get your WCA report.

A new letter from your GP or consultant is optional. If you do ask for one, ask them to write in their own words about the diagnosis and where it was made, whether it is lifelong, the prognosis and whether the limitation applies all the time, and to confirm only what they can. A GP may charge a fee. Our WCA50 form guide covers the rest of the questionnaire.

If the DWP Says You Do Not Meet the Criteria

The decision may not use the words "Severe Conditions Criteria": GOV.UK describes the outcome as having a severe, lifelong health condition, and a refusal can simply look like LCWRA at £217.26 a month. You can ask for a mandatory reconsideration within one month of the date of the decision, with 14 more days if you ask for written reasons within that month (regulation 5 of the Decisions and Appeals Regulations 2013). If the answer is still no, you can appeal to the First-tier Tribunal within one month of the date the mandatory reconsideration notice was sent.

Once the DWP has decided you do not meet the criteria, it does not assess that again unless there is new evidence of a mistake or a relevant change in your condition (regulation 41(5)). That makes the mandatory reconsideration the moment to send your evidence. The free MR letter generator can help you start the letter.

Official sources

This guide reflects the law and the official guidance as checked on 9 October 2026:

• Universal Credit Regulations 2013, regulation 40A, regulation 40, regulation 41, regulation 27A and Schedule 7
• Universal Credit Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2016, regulation 41A
• GOV.UK - Universal Credit: what you could get if you have a health condition or disability and what you'll get
• DWP - Work Capability Assessment handbook for healthcare professionals (August 2026), section 2 and Appendix 4
• DWP - Advice for Decision Making, chapter G4
• DWP - WCA50 questionnaire (03/26)
• Decisions and Appeals Regulations 2013, regulation 5 and UK GDPR, Article 12
• Citizens Advice - Getting Universal Credit if you're sick or disabled

Guidance only, not legal advice. Rules can change - always check GOV.UK for the latest.

Frequently Asked Questions

Related Guides

• LCWRA rates 2026 and the health element change
• LCW vs LCWRA: the two outcomes
• WCA reassessment on Universal Credit
• Substantial risk rules on Universal Credit