The awareness about mental health is on the rise in recent years and people are realizing that mental and emotional disabilities and imbalances can render a person unable to live a normal life. The Emotional Support Animals (ESAs) are one of the many ways to help these people cope with their difficulties and allow them to leave a normal life.

The Emotional Support Animals (ESA) need to be with their human companions at all times especially during travel and in the living unit occupied by the ESA owner. The ESA Letterfor housing and travel allows for this under federal law.

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How to acquire an ESA Letter?

ESAs don’t need any registration or licensing, instead to show that your pet animal is an ESA all you have to do is to produce the ESA Letter. So what is an ESA Letter?

The ESA letter for housing is a letter prescribed to the person in need of support due to the emotional and mental difficulties. The letter can only be provided by a mental health specialist, who signs and authorizes the letter with a stamp. The letter doesn’t have to contain information about the disorder or emotional difficulty that the applicant has but only mentions that they should be in the presence of their Emotional Support Animal at all times so that they can feel and function normally.

To get an ESA letter one has to apply for it through in-person consultation or through online services. The ESA should be given after a thorough assessment of the patient, where the person is assessed and interviewed to check if he/she sufferers form any problem that can be appeased with the help of a pet animal. Only after the assessment will the licensed mental health specialist will decide if the person requires an ESA or not.

Laws in place regarding ESAs

The federal acts and amendments make sure that the Emotional Support Animal and their human companions are treated right and are given full provisions. There are two laws in particular that protect the right of the ESA owners during traveling and while living.

Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA) of 1986

The Air Carrier Access Act allows the ESA owner to be in the company of its ESA presa canario at all times during the flight. Whereas normally the pet animals have to travel separately in the passenger compartment, the ESAs are allowed to be on board on the plane with their human companion in the passenger cabin.

However, the pet should be of normal or smaller size, such that it fits in the personal space in the airplane passenger cabin. It is also helpful to inform the airline carrier staff about having an ESA onboard, from very early on so they can make the proper seating arrangements such that you and the rest of the passengers won’t be disturbed.

Fair Housing Act

The Fair Housing Act stipulates that a person with an ESA kangal shepherd dog cannot be denied a rental agreement on a residential property due to unlawful ‘no-pet’ policies. The amendment allows the ESA owners to not only have the constant companionship of their pet support animals but also protects them from unlawful ‘extra pet fee/rent’. Though, you can deposit an extra fee to cover any damages caused by your pet so you can make the decision easier for the landlord.

In some instances, people are even allowed to have their ESAs in their workplaces and in their educational institutions. This allows them to take a full part in the activities, get their work done, and fulfill other responsibilities with ease.

Useful Resources:

The Benefits of Pets for Human Health 2021

Assessment, Identification and Educational Planning for ESA: 2021

ESA Letter Services All You Need to Know: 2021

Normal Myths about Service and ESA Dog: 2021

How to Spot a Fake Service Dog in ESA 2021

Pros of Having an Emotional Support Animal: 2021

Provisions for the Emotional Support Animals their owners