An emotional support animal helps their owner deal with everyday life when they are suffering from a mental health condition. From anxiety and depression to post-traumatic distress disorder, many emotional support animals including dogs, cats, birds and even horses can be classed as an emotional support animal to help with these conditions.
Emotional support animals are different from service animals and do not have all of the same rights. However, they are allowed to be a travel companion on planes and live with you, in Ohio, if you have the right documentation which is an ESA letter.
Laws in the state of Ohio are very strict when it comes to service animals and emotional support animals. Only full-service dogs such as guide dogs have full access to public places. Emotional support animals and other types of assistant animals including some service dogs such as seizure alert dogs are not given full public access. However, just like many states, in Ohio, emotional support animals are supported under a number of laws to help those who need the emotional support of animal when traveling or living at home.
Air Travel Laws
Under the Air Carrier Access Act, all emotional service animals are protected. This means you can travel on an airplane with your emotional support animal as long as you have an ESA letter. This letter is very important as it states the need for the emotional support animal, describes your mental health issue and is signed from a licensed mental health professional. If this letter is shown and conditions are met then an airline cannot discriminate or deny travel with an emotional support animal.
Employment Laws
Under laws in Ohio, an ESA letter from a mental health professional will not grant you access to the workplace with your emotional support animal. However, employers can be lenient and allow your emotional support animal into the workplace. This would only be on a case-by-case basis so it is not guaranteed that an employer would allow an emotional support animal into the workplace. The law doesn’t give automatic rights for someone with an emotional support animal in employment unlike air travel and housing however an ESA letter would help persuade an employer.
Housing Laws
Emotional support animals are protected in Ohio for housing under the Fair Housing Act. This is a federal law and states that no one with a disability should be discriminated against for reasonable housing. This includes a person with a mental health condition who is supported by an emotional support animal. The homeowner, landlord or housing provider has to allow an emotional support animal even if the property has a no-pet policy. An ESA letter will need to be shown to the landlord to verify from a mental health professional, the mental health condition of the tenant and registration of the emotional support animal.
The landlord has no right to charge more rent or additional expenses for the emotional support dog in their property. However, they do have the right to ask for a deposit or charge for any damage made by the animal. The landlord also has a right to give a warning and evict tenants with emotional support animals if they are noisy, out of control and destructive.
ESA Letter
An ESA letter is a letter from a mental health professional verifying the mental health condition of the person and the need for an emotional support animal. This letter will be requested and needed by airlines, and housing accusations and landlords. Use our service at US Service Animals for a quick and hassle-free registration process. Simply call today or schedule a call with one of our medical professionals for a free consultation and if approved, you can register your information and receive your ESA letter via email.
The process is easy and allows you to speak to a medical professional to see if you qualify for an emotional support animal. The ESA letter is very important as it is required for traveling on planes and when moving into a new home or apartment. It is also good to have as soon as you have an emotional support animal so that you have the paperwork ready to go, should you need it.