Overseas vocational or disability assistance dog training

A client receiving Supported Living Payment (health condition, injury, disability, or total blindness only) may need to travel overseas to:

• attend a specific vocational training course or
• receive disability assistance dog training

In these cases the client can continue to receive payment of their benefit during any period or periods of absence not exceeding two years in total.

The criteria for continuing payment are:

• the person is receiving Supported Living Payment on the grounds of their health condition, injury, disability or total blindness

and

• the vocational or disability dog training cannot be carried out in New Zealand during the period the client is absent

Training can be for guide dogs, hearing dogs or other disability assistance dogs as appropriate. Training is limited to dogs only. There may be some cases where a client applies to receive training for some other type of disability assistance animal. This training would not be appropriate and does not meet the criteria for continuation of payments.