Emotional support animals are vital companions to many, and these support animals can help provide comfort, love, and routine to individuals with certain disabilities or mental health conditions. With a valid ESA letter, you can access protections for yourself and your ESA.
However, some individuals seek to take advantage of the ESA system and falsify ESA letters, leading to problems for those with legitimate disabilities. Our article tells you more about fake ESA letters and what to look out for when determining if an ESA letter is fraudulent.
What Is an ESA Letter?
An emotional support animal (ESA) letter is a letter that is written by a licensed mental healthcare provider or medical provider in order to state someone’s need for an emotional support animal. While this letter will not go into detail about a person’s disability or qualifying mental health condition, it will state the need for an ESA, the role that an ESA plays, and how an ESA can help an individual deal with the symptoms of their condition.
Individuals who wish to take advantage of federal and state-level ESA housing protections must have a valid ESA letter that adheres to state regulations; simply stating that you need an ESA or printing out an ESA letter online does not fulfill this requirement.
Who Might Qualify for an ESA Letter?
There are many different qualifying conditions that may require the companionship of an emotional support animal. Common conditions that can benefit from the routine and presence of an ESA include anxiety, depression, chronic stress, PTSD, autism, and sensory disorders.
Your mental healthcare or medical provider will evaluate your condition and your need for an emotional support animal, and you must be able to financially and physically provide for any ESA in your care before you are approved for one.
Signs of a Fake ESA Letter
While fake ESA letters may be hard to spot at first, there are a few things you can look out for that indicate a letter is fraudulent. Over time, you can spot these fake letters more easily and quickly discount them from being used.
Signs of a fake ESA letter include:
- The letter appears strangely cropped or copied and pasted
- The letter is clearly printed from an online website or template
- The letter contains mismatched information and ESA details
- The letter does not adhere to state requirements to list the type of ESA and the reason for the ESA
- The letter is not signed by a mental healthcare provider or medical provider licensed in your state
- The letter does not have an expiration date; most ESA letters have an expiration date of one year detailed in the letter
If you have any concerns over an ESA letter, request more information from the prescribing provider who supposedly wrote the letter. If the letter is valid, they should be able to give you more details and answer your questions.
How Do I Get a Valid ESA Letter?
If you want to get a valid ESA letter, you will need to speak to your doctor, therapist, or another licensed medical or mental healthcare provider in your state. They can further guide you towards an ESA and help evaluate your condition to ensure you can properly care for an emotional support animal.
Once you are approved for your ESA, your provider will give you a valid ESA letter that adheres to state regulations. You can also get an emotional support animal registration for added security.
Can My ESA Letter Be Denied?
Your ESA letter may be denied if it is a falsified letter, meaning you did not meet with a licensed provider to obtain the letter and wrote it yourself. If you printed a letter from a website or purchased a templated letter without meeting with a medical or mental healthcare provider first, this letter is also likely to be denied.
Additionally, your emotional support animal can legally be denied housing if they are dangerous, destructive, or poses a threat and health hazard to other individuals.
Obtaining a Valid ESA
If you need the comfort of an emotional support animal at your side, your first step is to speak to a licensed provider in your state. You should not falsify this letter or try to purchase one online without speaking to a provider first, as this will likely result in the rejection of your ESA housing rights; you may also end up in legal trouble if you are found to be falsifying documents.
Speak to your doctor or therapist if you have any questions about obtaining a valid emotional support animal.
