Emotional Support Dog Virginia

By lisa guerin j d.

Emotional support dog virginia.

We rise in the strongest support of this legislation. In order to get an emotional support animal in virginia you ll be required to consult a licensed mental health professional. Information on service dogs and emotional support animals. To qualify for an emotional support animal known as an esa in virginia you need to have an esa letter this is an official letter from a certified mental health professional such as a psychologist psychiatrist or clinical social worker.

The following is an overview of the laws established in federal laws and west virginia laws that protect emotional support animals. Virginia s 36 96 3 1 combats emotional support animal and service dog fraud. For example the virginia code defines a service dog as a dog that was specifically trained to perform tasks that benefit a person with a disability. We serve clients residing in the commonwealth of virginia and are based in charlottesville virginia.

Virginia 36 96 3 1 combats emotional support animal fraud in housing. Under virginia s disability rights law and the federal americans with disabilities act ada people with disabilities may bring their service animals to all public accommodations including stores businesses. Don t listen to your landlord s demand to go online and get a certificate in the state of virginia that s now against the law. Emotional support animal basics in virginia.

Highly trained dogs perform a multitude of tasks that allow greater personal freedom and independence. Esa has joined forces with a team of mental health professionals with an expertise in emotional support animal evaluations and prescription letters to help you with your esa and to provide you with your evaluation letter which is required by law to travel with your animal. In fact access serves as a cornerstone of our very mission as moral and ethical obligation rather than just a legal requirement. However this is not something that you can simply ask for and receive.

It is helpful to understand the emotional support animal laws in west virginia to avoid any complications and know what to do if unlawful discrimination occurs. To simplify the entire issue into a single sentence. When virginia laws allow you to bring a service dog or emotional support animal to public places or housing. Generally speaking the two main differences between service dogs and emotional support animals center on 1 the animal s level of training and 2 the severity of the owner s needs.

In this article we ll cover all you need to know about getting an esa in virginia.