Are you feeling stressful recently? Do you have certain emotional or mental issues like depression, anxiety or mood swings? You can find an Emotional Support Animal (ESA) and help yourself! Yes, these ESAs are there for you to support you and help you feel better.
What are ESAs?
These animals are to provide you with therapeutic benefit. They are not service animals, and they don’t need specialized task training. Instead, they alleviate symptoms of emotional and mental health condition. They are there to offer you emotional stability, affection, and companionship.
You need a letter to keep an ESA
To own an ESA, however, you should obtain an ESA Letter. So, what is it? This letter is a medical official document that is written by a licence holder mental health professional or LMHP. The letter is to confirm that you have a qualifying emotional or mental health condition, and an animal can provide with therapeutic benefit. The presence of your ESA is to alleviate symptoms of mental or emotional health conditions you are suffering from.
What are the legal protections you can get from a letter for ESA?
With such a letter, you can enjoy some specific legal rights. Some of the legal benefits are mentioned below:
Get reasonable accommodations as per the Fair Housing Act (FHA): Housing providers and landlords have to provide you with “reasonable accommodations” when you have a valid letter for ESA. This law applies also in buildings that have strict policies on “no-pet”. Also, you have an ESA, your landlord cannot charge monthly pet rent, pet fees, or deposits.
Air Travel (U.S. Update): As per recent Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA) rules, ESAs cannot be treated as service animals by airlines. However, Airlines may treat your ESA as a standard pet. In such a case, you have to adhere to the carrier requirements and pay standard pet fees.
To sum up, you should obtain a letter for your ESA from a reputable healthcare provider or agencies that offer such services. You can find such services online too. So, find the right healthcare provider or the trusted online source and get a letter for your ESA.
