I had to go for an assessment to get my BB when it was first issued. I was nervous about what to expect even though a friend told me a little about the process. I had applied on the advice of a physio at my doctors who was aware of my mobility problems caused by arthritis.
I ordered a taxi to get there as I was worried about being able to park close enough. I sometimes use one walking stick but need two for longer journeys so had both of them with me. The OT came to meet me as I sat in reception and took me outside to go for a walk, I knew about this as the physio told me I would need to walk around the outside of the building. We set off up a slight incline and she was chatting to me. By the time we got to the first corner I was out of breath from walking and talking, she then stopped and said she had seen enough and we went straight back!
We then went to her office and she set up a lap top and proceeded to ask me a series of questions about my mobility which she recorded on the lap top. These included such things as aids I used around the house as well, how I coped with shopping, cleaning etc, who helped me, pain levels etc. This lasted about 20 minutes and at the end she said she needed to press a button so the computer could assess my answers and it would indicate yes or no! But she reassured me that she was very confident and luckily I was granted a badge for three years.
I had to renew it earlier this year and the form was slightly different in that it now asked for medical evidence and information about recent treatments - possibly because my condition is hopefully not permanent and should be improved by surgery. Obviously with Covid etc, I’ve not had any new treatment and am not even on the waiting list. I was upset to get an email from a clerical assistant saying I needed more evidence ( a letter from my GP was not acceptable though) and thought I was going to get turned down. It tuned out that they needed a GP Summary which is basically a print out of all my GP and hospital appointments going back many years, I was able to get this through the GP receptionist at no charge.
The clerk then emailed to say he had sent off the referral and I received another email saying a new badge had been issued. Even though the BB was given for my physical mobility problems ( cannot walk more than a few yards really despite very strong painkillers), I think that the fact that my GP Summary also showed visits and tests following a TIA and subsequent partial loss of vision in one eye helped me get the renewal.
All in all, not a very stressful assessment for anyone with genuine physical disabilities although if the needs are intermittent, ie good days and bad days, it might be more difficult to pass the walking test on a good day. I applied for my mum who had dementia when the new hidden disabilities were added to the eligibility and her LA turned her down because I refused to take her for an assessment - her physical walking prowess was not a problem, the issue was around spatial awareness, fall risk, need to be near a shop door when she wet herself, habit of wandering off if I dropped her off etc. As it happened, mum ended up going to live in a care home just as Covid hit and never went on outings again.
I hope I have helped to ease your anxiety.