Hi, my name is juliebullard666!

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juliebullard666

Hi everyone.

Ive just won MY PIP tribunal and now at almost 60, have an official Mental Health Disability.

On my award letter, it states:

Planning and following journeys.

d. Cannot follow the route of an unfamiliar journey without another person, assistance dog or orientation aid.

Mydog, English Springer Spaniel, is almost 12 years old. Hes a retired working dog, highly intelligent and is a huge part of my daily life, in nany ways.

Hes never been assessed as an assistance dog but is vital to assisting me with my mental health disability.

Just wondered if anybody else is in this situation too.

Rosie_Scope

Hi @juliebullard666, welcome from me too! Congratulations on winning your tribunal, that must be a weight off your mind!

That descriptor covers the use of assistance dogs but doesn't exclusively mean that you can only score points if you have one.

It also applies to anyone who has difficulty following a route of an unfamiliar journey alone for other reasons. For example, if you become too distressed, are likely to get lost or hurt yourself in some way, then you may also score points for it.

Hope that helps clear things up a little ☺️