Emotional Support Animal (ESA) Letter
An ESA letter can help those with a mental or emotional disability such as depression, anxiety, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, or any other recognized disability listed in the Diagnostic and Statistics Manual 5 (DSM 5). An emotional support animal letter supports a person by allowing them to keep their emotional support animal with them in housing or other facilities that would otherwise not permit them to have an animal with them.
This is not covered by insurance. Self-pay cost $30.
How Do I Qualify For an ESA Letter?
Emotional Support Animals offer necessary emotional support to individuals with disabilities, provided that they do not cause nuisance or hardship to the property where they live. Any animal, of any age, can qualify as an ESA without having to undergo any specialized task training – a simple presence works to reduce the symptoms of a person's mental or emotional disability. In order to obtain an ESA legally, a person must have a diagnosis of a mental or emotional disability included in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual 5 (DSM 5), as signed off by a licensed mental health professional.
What Legal Protections Does an ESA Letter Provide?
An ESA letter provides legal protection in Texas for those registered as having a mental or emotional disability included in the DSM5. This protection allows the individual to keep their emotional support animal with them in places where pets are usually not allowed, such as a rented house or apartment. For more information, housing is covered under the Fair Housing Act.
An ESA letter does not always allow you to take your emotional support animal into public places, your workplace, university housing, hotels, and public transportation.