Emotional Support Dog Letter California
California laws on emotional support animals can be confusing.
Emotional support dog letter california. Your esa recommendation letter will need to document that your struggle with emotional or mental issues that require you to have your esa. An emotional support animal is not a pet rather it is a companion animal that provides therapeutic benefit to an individual with a disability which. The following opinion is a lightly edited excerpt from the new fourth edition of basics of california law for lmfts lpccs and lcsws. To qualify for an emotional support animal esa you need to prove that you suffer from a mental illness.
How long do esa letters last. Emotional support animal letters last for 365 days 1 year. We re open 7 days a week 11 am to 7 pm and we re centrally located same day and next day appointments are regularly. Check out this article to get information and resources about your rights for your emotional support animal in california.
Only a licensed therapist can provide you with a prescription letter to get an emotional support dog. A letter from a licensed mental health professional is needed to fly with an emotional support animal. Therapists should not write emotional support animal letters june 3 2019 january 4 2017 by ben caldwell note. They can be renewed each year that you suffer from mental health symptoms.
California law guarantees people who use trained service dogs full and equal access to. This letter will explain the owner s mental health disability and why they need the support of an emotional support animal. In california to have a legitimate emotional support animal you will need to have a written recommendation for your esa by either a physician or a licensed therapist. For more on the basic difference between service dogs and support animals see nolo s article on service dogs and support animals how california protects service dogs in public areas.
Letters with integrity get reliably verified for an emotional support animal letter for housing. The esa letter must be 1 written on the lmhp s professional letterhead and 2 must include their licensing information along with their signature. Only a person with a mental disability is eligible to keep an emotional support animal. An emotional support animal letter is a prescription letter from a licensed mental health professional that states you benefit from the companionship your pet provides you.
An emotional support animal is a reasonable accommodation for a person with a disability under hud s fair housing act fha.