How To Get A Doctor Note For A Service Dog

There are a few different reasons someone in the United states might enquire for a "service dog letter" from their healthcare provider—a letter supporting their (planned) use of service canis familiaris. Each reason has different requirements for what's in the letter.

Nosotros'll cover the requirements for a general letter, a housing letter, and a workplace accommodation letter. People with service dogs in the The states shouldn't demand letters for any other reason related to federal laws. State laws tin can add rights to federal disability laws, but can't take them abroad. Those who desire a service dog from a program or have another personal reason may need to become a letter that meets other specific requirements.

Please remember that a service domestic dog user should not show a letter of the alphabet or service dog ID card in social club to gain entry to public places like stores, hotels, hospitals, etc. Since no letter or ID is required for public access in the U.s.a., if you show a letter, you are grooming the gatekeeper that they should ask the next service dog team for a letter. This makes the life of the team coming after yous miserable! Some of the worst access challenges happen when a service dog user comes later someone who has shown a letter or ID in society to proceeds access, and they look the same of you.

In general, it is a adept idea for a (prospective) service domestic dog user to bring the exact text of the letter they desire written to their provider'south role, and inquire them to simply put that text on their letterhead and sign it. This is of import because many providers inadvertently make piddling alterations, which can lead to a big legal difference. We as well recommend never putting a specific diagnosis into a service dog letter, since it is unnecessary and tin invite discrimination or uncomfortable conversation.

Any medical professional who is treating someone for their inability can write a service dog letter. That could be a psychiatrist, therapist, social worker, full general practitioner, neurologist, nurse, nurse practitioner, etc. If one of a disabled person's providers won't write the needed letter of the alphabet, that person can inquire any other provider who treats them.

General letter of the alphabet

While there is no legal need in a service dog user's solar day-to-solar day life for a general letter of the alphabet of support, having i can be extremely helpful should they e'er cease upward in court over some unexpected incident. Information technology gives a timeline for when they started using (or planning to train) a service dog. This tin be helpful in proving that at the time of the incident, their dog was a service dog.

A service dog user should never legally demand to show this alphabetic character to anyone except in a court situation. In supporting a disabled person's planned service dog use, the medical professional is not responsible for the behavior of an animal owned by someone else. For all service domestic dog letters, we recommend the service dog user and medical professional person each keep a copy of the alphabetic character wherever important papers are stored.

The dated alphabetic character should be on the provider's letterhead with contact information, include whatsoever licensing information, and should read as follows:

[Appointment]

To Whom information technology May Concern:

[Client's total name] is my client, whom I am treating for a life-limiting disability. I back up their use of a service dog for their disability.

Sincerely,

[Signed by provider, with typed name and license information]

Housing letter of the alphabet

If a disabled person has a service dog—as opposed to a "service dog in grooming"—they do not need a letter for housing places that are covered past the Fair Housing Deed. (On PSDP'south housing folio, in that location's info about topics like which dwellings are exempt from the Fair Housing Act.) With a service domestic dog, the service dog user simply has to answer the two questions from the Americans with Disabilities Human action (ADA). Those are: (1) "Is the animal required because of a disability?" and (2) "What piece of work or chore has the animal been trained to perform?".

Remember that you do not need to tell anyone the diagnosis (privacy matters). Instead, the service domestic dog user can describe in general terms how the service dog helps. The service dog user may respond the questions verbally, but it is smart for them to follow up in written form with the housing provider immediately afterward. A simple electronic mail or (saved) text exchange is fine, equally long as it conspicuously confirms the disability accommodation agreement.

If the brute is not a service dog merely still counts as an assistance animal, at that place are different rules. "Assist fauna" in the housing context includes trained service animals and untrained support animals, all of which must help a disabled person to qualify. A service dog in preparation may qualify every bit an aid brute in housing if it helps the disabled person.

The document linked below from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) explains the requirements for assistance animals. The specifics for aid animals that are not service dogs starts on folio seven.

https://world wide web.hud.gov/sites/dfiles/PA/documents/HUDAsstAnimalNC1-28-2020.pdf

A housing service dog letter should confirm the person has a disability, though not what their diagnosis is. It should too institute the disability-related need for the assistance animal. If the aid beast is non an animal usually kept in a household, there are additional requirements—see the document linked above for details.

Below is a sample letter of the alphabet for an assistance animate being in housing. As with a general letter, the dated alphabetic character should exist on the provider's letterhead with contact information and include whatever licensing information. It should read as follows:

[Date]

To Whom it May Concern:

[Client'south total name] is my customer, whom I am treating for a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits 1 or more major life activities or bodily functions. I back up their utilize of a domestic dog as an assist creature. My client's disability causes them difficulty with [insert limitation hither, it could be "leaving the house", "maintaining emotional stability", "sleeping", "remembering to take medication", "social interaction", etc]. The assistance animal mitigates their disability by [insert help provided here, it could be "regulating emotions", "responding to their medical condition", "encouraging them to get out the house", "facilitating social interactions", "regulating their sleep", "preventing or interrupting impulsive behaviors", "reminding them to take medication", "providing emotional support", etc].

Sincerely,

[Signed past provider, with typed name and license data]

Workplace adaptation alphabetic character

The Chore Accommodation Network has wonderful data regarding service animals in the workplace. Here is their webpage:

https://askjan.org/topics/servanim.cfm

In order to bring a service creature into the workplace as a inability accommodation, an employee must request a reasonable adaptation. The asking for reasonable accommodation should document that the person has disability, why the service brute is needed, what it does, that it is trained to behave, and a description of how information technology will not disrupt the workplace. Some of this information will come from the healthcare provider, while other data may come from a dog trainer or from a demonstration of the animal's behavior, such as through a trial menstruation.

Minimally, the alphabetic character from a healthcare provider should document the person'southward inability. If possible, it would be helpful for the alphabetic character to also include information on how the animate being helps with the person's disability. The part of the ADA that deals with employment doesn't define "service animal". This means it is possible—but non guaranteed—that a disabled person could get an accommodation with an animal that helps by its untrained presence, as long as it is trained to behave in the workplace.

Beneath is a sample healthcare professional service canis familiaris alphabetic character for workplace accommodations. Equally with the general and housing letters, the dated workplace accommodation alphabetic character should be on the provider'southward letterhead with contact data and include whatsoever licensing information. It should read equally follows:

[Engagement]

To Whom information technology May Business concern:

[Client's full proper noun] is my client, whom I am treating for a life-limiting disability. I support their use of a service dog. My customer's inability causes limitations with the post-obit major life activities: [insert limitations here, which could be "maintaining low anxiety", "interacting with others", "remembering to accept medications", "fugitive impulsive behaviors", etc ]. These affect their chore performance by [insert applicative examples hither, such as "lowering the amount of time the employee is productive", "causing difficulty with coworker interactions", "causing increased absenteeism", etc]. The service dog mitigates their disability by [insert help provided here, information technology could be "alerting or responding to their mental health country or anxiety levels", "facilitating social interactions", "preventing or interrupting impulsive behaviors", "reminding them to accept medication", etc].

Sincerely,

[Signed by provider, with typed name and license data]

Employers as well need to know that the dog is trained to deport in the workplace. The service dog user should submit a letter of the alphabet from their canis familiaris trainer, or the service dog user may provide a trial-flow demonstration if the domestic dog is exclusively possessor-trained. You might as well wish to include a statement of what the animal will do while at the workplace. Volition they slumber nether the desk? Will they accompany the person around the office? Will other people be immune to pet them or feed them? Where and when will they eliminate?

If y'all have any further questions almost letter writing, please fill out our contact form and nosotros will call yous back shortly.