About Emotional Pet Support – Emotional Support Animal Letter

An emotional support animal (ESA) is a person’s pet that has been prescribed by a person’s licensed therapist, psychologist, or psychiatrist (any licensed mental health professional). The animal is part of the treatment program for this person and is designed to bring comfort and minimize the negative symptoms of the person’s emotional/psychological disability.

A Psychiatric Service Dog (PSD) is a trained animal that has been prescribed by a licensed medical doctor, therapist, psychologist, or psychiatrist (any licensed mental health professional). The animal is part of the treatment program for this person and is designed to bring comfort and minimize the negative symptoms of the person’s emotional/psychological disability.

All types of domesticated animals can be Emotional Support Animals (cats, dog, and birds) and they can be any age (young puppies and kittens, too!). These animals do not need any specific task-training because their very presence mitigates the symptoms associated with a person’s psychological/emotional disability, unlike a working service dog. The only requirement is that the animal is manageable in public and does not create a nuisance in or around the home setting.

For a person to legally qualify for an emotional support animal (ESA), he/she must be considered emotionally disabled by a licensed mental health professional (therapist, psychologist, psychiatrist, etc.), as evidenced by a properly formatted prescription letter. Some airlines and property managers will accept a verification form completed by a family doctor, however.

The letter should state that:

1. You are currently his/her patient
2. Are under his/her care for the treatment of mental disability found in the DSM IV or V (the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, version 4 or 5).
3. Your disability substantially limits at least one major life activity
4. He/she prescribes for you an emotional support animal as a necessary treatment for your mental health.

In addition, the letter must be dated, written on his/her letterhead, include his/her license type, number, date of license, and state in which the license was issued. View a Sample ESA letter. Remember that we at Emotional Pet Support can help prescribe such a letter and you can begin by taking our 10-minute exam.

We recommend that you forward your landlord’s verification form to our support team so we can make sure that it is processed correctly by the therapist. If your landlord wishes to send the verification directly to the therapist, they can do so via email.

Again, no person with a disabling condition or people with disabilities in general can be denied their rights under section 504. Federal law states that housing discrimination is not allowed.

Unfortunately due to the difficult nature of being reimbursed by insurance companies for emotional support animal exams, we regret that we are not able to accept medical insurance at this time. In light of this, we have tried our best to make the approval process as easy and as affordable as possible.

Believe it or not, Emotional Support Animals have been legally recognized by the US government since the late 1980′s. Up until recently, ESA’s have been flying under the radar due to a lack of knowledge of the Fair Housing Amendment Act. Over the last four years, the media has really put ESA’s in the National spotlight with many articles educating people on the merits of ESA’s. emotionalpetsupport.com is the first mainstream service in the history of the United States to provide Emotional Support evaluation to the general public. With a countless number of satisfied ESA owners, Emotional Pet Support is now growing to be a nationally recognized brand.

Another thing to note is, that people with emotional support dogs or assistance animals don’t need to have their pets go through specialized training, unlike service animals.

We contract with a team of mental health professionals who are licensed in multiple states. All of our consultants are active clinicians with established practices conducting mental health assessment, treatment, and disability determination.

Before the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) was implemented, the protections offered for individuals utilizing animals for medical and emotional support were limited. Under Title II of the ADA, individuals with ESAs must have a reasonable accommodation for their animal as an assistive aid.

Since that time, the provisions have been modified, providing a greater scope of protection for service animals (SAs) and emotional support animals (ESAs), as well as the individuals who own them or utilize their services. However, it is very important to understand that ESAs are not permitted to be in as many places as service animals.

The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development passed the Fair Housing Amendment Act of 1988. This law protects your rights to living in a “No Pet” policy dwelling unit with your Emotional Support Animal.