Emotional Support Animals(ESAs): A Complete Guide

Emotional support animals of various kinds are on the rise in the last couple of years. This is partly due to the growing awareness about mental health and how it affects individuals in their daily lives. The talk about mental health and emotional well being has prompted the debate about giving more benefits and provisions for those suffering from emotional and mental disorders and difficulties. An emotional support animal and the provisions surrounding it is one outcome. 

Pet parents with emotional difficulties can now have an ESA letter for housing and travel that allows them to accompany their pets in the passenger cabin as well as have them in their housing units. 

What is an Emotional Support Animal Letter (ESA Letter)?

An emotional support animal letter or an ESA letter is a letter that is prescribed to a person with emotional difficulties by a mental health specialist. It cites that the person requires his or her pet animal to be around them at all times for their well being and emotional stability.

This letter is valid as long as it is provided and prescribed by an authorized mental health specialist. To get an ESA Letter you will first have to apply for it online or in person.

The in-person process requires you to be physically present in the sessions that will allow the specialist to determine your mental and emotional state and form a decision on your need to have an emotional support animal. This medical specialist cannot be your physician or your family doctor. 

For the online method, you will need to reach a mental health specialist through one of the online ESA Letter providing services. The assessment of the candidate is made through questionnaires and interviews and then the ESA Letter is dispatched via mail if the ESA Letter is deemed necessary.

The ESA Letter will include your name along with stating that you need to have your pet around you at all times. The letter will then have the signature of the mental health specialist and also stamped with the official signature. The letter doesn’t have to mention the illness or disorder.

It is important that you renew your ESA Letter yearly. You should know that if you were ESA Letter eligible one year then that doesn’t automatically make you eligible for another. You will have to go through an assessment again.

The benefits of the ESA Letter

The ESA Letter is there to benefit the animal pet owner in various situations, assuring that the person has every provision available to make them feel normal in all situations, and make the effect of their disability or disorder as minimal as possible. If you have animals you should know about emotional support animal certification.

Traveling by Air

The Air Carrier Access Act of 1986 in addition to the Federal Laws conserving the ESAs allows you to have your emotional support pet along with you in the passenger cabin. It prohibits the Air Carriers to bar your entry and entry to your pet animals starting unlawful no-pet policies. 

If you have with you the appropriate ESA Letter and moreover, if you have informed the carrier ahead then there should be no problem in accommodating you and your pet animal on the flight. If you have a dog you should know how to legally register emotional support dog. 

Living with your pet

The ESAs have the provision to be under the same roof as you whether it's a housing unit or an apartment. Here the Fair Housing Act (FHA) comes to the rescue of the emotional support animal owners, as it bars the property owners to stop you from having your pet animal with you in the house (rented or otherwise). This is extended to university living setups. 

This also exempts you from unlawful extra pet chargers and advance money payments due to having a pet in the house. If you have a pet you should know about an ESA registration.

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