An important legal judgment has been issued that may lead to the award of the PIP mobility component to disabled people, with conditions such as depression, panic attacks or anxiety, who have problems planning and following a journey

The upper tribunal appeal decision, CSPIP/109/2015, allows that where someone is so prone to anxiety they need prompting in order to undertake any journey, to avoid overwhelming psychological distress, they may qualify for one of the planning and following a journey PIP mobility components.

But there’s a snag when you use this case in your own appeals. Appeal tribunals are entitled to consider all related upper tribunal appeal decisions and there’s another decision which considers help to overcome anxiety as irrelevant to planning and following a journey. That upper tribunal appeal decision, UK/622/2015, says only help in navigating a journey counts.

This decision, if used, also applies a…