To thousands, having an emotional support animal (ESA) is a life-changing asset in their everyday lives. However, daily tasks like getting public transport, renting accommodation, or catching a flight can be increasingly complicated without an ESA letter.
An ESA letter, distributed by a licensed mental health practitioner (LMHP), can help you navigate your daily life more easily. So read on to discover if you qualify, how to get a letter, and your legal rights.
Do You Qualify For An ESA Letter in Utah?
To qualify for an ESA letter in Utah, you must be diagnosed with a mental health condition, such as social anxiety, PTSD, depression, or OCD. Your mental health condition should be so severe that it qualifies as a disability; please refer to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to understand whether or not your situation meets the requirements.
Before qualifying, you must currently receive treatment for your condition, which could look like counseling, medication, or talking therapy. Your therapist or an LMHP must be able to confirm that you need an Emotional Support Animal (ESA). An emotional support pet might be suggested if:
- You need to calm down after suffering panic attacks.
- You find going out in public stressful and need support to lower your stress.
- You’d benefit from support in social situations you struggle with alone.
Whatever the symptoms of your mental health condition, your LMHP needs to attest that an emotional support pet alleviates these symptoms in a way your previous treatment hasn’t been able to and that an emotional support pet is necessary to your daily life. If this is the case, your LMHP can write you a letter to confirm your need for ESA.
Unlike service animals (SAs), an emotional support animal only provides emotional support and doesn’t need training. An emotional support pet is any domesticated animal prescribed by an LMHP, whether a dog, cat, rat, or rabbit.
Who Can Write an ESA Letter in Utah
Only LMHP can write ESA letters, but what does ‘licensed’ mean? Your LMHP must hold one of the following licenses:
- Licensed Clinical Social Worker
- Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist
- Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor
- Clinical Psychologist
This means a nurse can’t legally provide you with an ESA letter because they don’t count as an LMHP.
With the demands for emotional support pets rising, so is the amount of fraudulent activity surrounding providing emotional support animal letters. You mustn’t fall into the scam that some companies offer; you’re partaking in an illegal act if you gain an ESA letter without a face-to-face meeting with an LMHP.
What’s Inside a Utah ESA Letter
Your LMHP will briefly outline your mental health conditions that require an emotional support pet’s presence. They should also reference how your emotional support pet will have, or is having, a positive impact on your mental health condition and treatment. While the letter can be physical or electronic, the LMHP must write on their letterhead.
Benefits of Getting an ESA Letter in Utah
Housing
With an ESA letter, you don’t have to give up your emotional support animal because of a change in your housing situation. An ESA letter can register your pet as an emotional support animal. With the Fair Housing Act 1998, landlords can’t charge you a fee for having a pet in your home. Additionally, you can qualify for housing listed as no-pet housing. Likewise, no landlord can legally limit your emotional support animal’s breed or size.
Airlines
Aerophobia, a fear of flying, is one of the most common and can emerge for many reasons. However, another great benefit of an ESA letter and registration is the change in circumstances when flying. Most airlines allow you to pass with your emotional support pet in the cabin without charging a pet travel fee.
It used to stand that under the Air Carrier Access Act, you didn’t have to pay an outrageous fee for the added comfort of your pet, saving you approximately $90 – $300 each way. However, new regulations by the Department of Transportation changed the legal protection of emotional support animals when flying. The fee may now differ from airline to airline, so it’s always best to check with your specific airline before flying.
Emotional Support Animals Laws in Utah
Housing Laws
The Fair Housing Act (FHA) protects people with emotional support animals in Utah. By law, landlords can’t deny physical access to a renter or charge additional fees for having an emotional support animal, regardless of whether or not the property has a no-pet policy in place.
However, please note that if your pet is threatening, misbehaves, or becomes out of control, a landlord does have the right to deny you access. They can also charge you for any damages that your pet has incurred.
It’s common for landlords to request documentation outlying your need for your ESA, so getting an ESA letter as soon as possible is vital. Although landlords can ask for your ESA letter, they can’t under any circumstances question any of the medical information in your letter or further investigate your disability, as stated by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
The FHA also extends to University campus accommodation. However, the FHA only covers individual dorm rooms. Those students who know they need their emotional support pet in their room at all times will need to consider all the options for university accommodation properly.
It’s well within a University’s right to request documentation proving that you need an ESA if this is a requirement you make them aware of. Again, having an ESA letter will make this process quick and easy.
Sadly, the FHA doesn’t cover hotels. Unless the hotel is pet-friendly, you can’t assume that a hotel will allow you to have your emotional support animal in your hotel room. It’s within a no-pet hotel’s rights to deny accommodation should you have an emotional support animal.
If you can’t find pet-friendly hotels, it’s always worth ringing ahead and explaining your situation. Some hotels understand and will make an exception.
Air Travel and Transportation Laws
Emotional support and service animals differ; unlike SAs, the ADA doesn’t protect ESAs, so they can be denied from using public transport, including buses and trains. Many public transport areas allow small pets to travel with their owners.
Although the Air Carrier Access Act has changed, your ESA can likely travel in the cabin with you on most airlines if they’re small. However, you may or may not be subject to a fee.
Employment Laws
Employment laws don’t protect emotional support animals in Utah. Navigating employment law can initially seem confusing, as the ADA states that employers can’t discriminate against anyone with a disability. And yet the law only protects SAs.
That’s not to say you can’t make a case with your employer. If you believe you need your emotional support animal at work, you can have that discussion with your employer. If your employer doesn’t allow you to have your emotional support pet on work property, take your ESA letter to your HR department to see what can be done. Aside from that, you can’t do much more to change their minds.
How To Get An ESA Letter in Utah: A Step-by-Step Guide
1. Contact your LMHP
Ideally, you’ll already be undergoing treatment or therapy for your mental health condition through a licensed mental health practitioner. Call them to arrange an appointment to discuss how an ESA might benefit you.
2. Have An Assessment
In your meeting with your LMHP, discuss the possibility of getting an emotional support animal if you don’t have one. If you already have one, explain that an ESA letter would greatly benefit you and ask if they could provide one.
There will likely be an assessment to determine if you qualify for an ESA first. You should then have an ongoing relationship with your LMHP as a result. If your LMHP deems an ESA a suitable asset to your day-to-day, you should get your ESA letter soon after your appointment.
3. Or use ESA Registration to get your letter online
It’s also possible to book an appointment with an LMHP online to get your ESA letter. If you need to do this online, use a reputable source to avoid fraudulent and illegal activity. Remember that using a fake ESA letter is a federal offense; you could be fined up to $125,000 and given a jail sentence.
With ESA Registration of America, we’ve helped many obtain their ESA letter, leaving us with over 1,450 5-star reviews. As mentioned above, getting an ESA letter from a trusted and reputable company is always better, and ESA Registration of America is an established ESA registration and letter provider.
We guarantee:
- Legitimate and qualified LMHPs for the assessment and provision of ESA letters
- Top-quality scheduling software designed to connect you with mental health professionals
- A stress-free and smooth experience
Once we put you in touch with a licensed mental health practitioner, they’ll schedule a video call to discuss your condition and the process of getting your ESA letter. We’ve ensured that this assessment and discussion fully comply with the Health Insure Portability and Accountability Act 1996.
After the backtracking of airline policy, we understand that staying on top of constantly changing laws can be overwhelming and stressful. By registering through us, your emotional support animal is listed in our online ESA database, and you can be kept up-to-date on any legal changes in the future.
Conclusion
Emotional support animals are a gift to many people with mental health conditions. The presence of an emotional support pet can be life-changing to those who need them, and getting your ESA letter should be a stress-free experience. While you can seek out your LMHP, ESA Registration of America is here to help you contact an LMHP to get your ESA letter as soon as possible.
Don’t waste any time! Start the ESA letter process today!
