An Emotional Support Animal (ESA) letter is a document that a licensed mental health professional uses to recommend an emotional support animal for a patient. While emotional support animals don’t have the same legal protections as service animals, they play a crucial role in providing comfort and companionship for individuals with conditions requiring emotional support. Here are some key points about ESA letters:
Qualifying Disorders: Psychological and emotional disorders that warrant an ESA include, but are not limited to:
- Anxiety
- Major depression
- Panic attacks
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
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Distinction from Service Animals:
- Service animals are specifically trained to perform tasks that assist their handlers with disabilities (e.g., guiding visually-impaired individuals, alerting hearing-impaired handlers, etc.).
- Emotional support animals provide comfort and ease emotional difficulties but are not trained to perform specific tasks like service animals.
- The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) does not require ESA owners to certify or register their support animals.
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Getting an ESA Letter:
- To obtain an ESA letter, an individual must obtain a prescription or recommendation from a licensed mental health professional.
- The ESA letter serves as documentation that allows the individual to have their emotional support animal in housing or when traveling.
- There is no official certification or registration process for ESAs under the ADA
