PSD Letter: How to Get One and Why You Need It for Your Service Dog (2023)

PSD Letter: With an increasing number of people turning to emotional support dogs for assistance with mental health issues, having a legitimate PSD letter is becoming more important. But what is a PSD letter, and why do you need one?

Table of Contents

In this informative guide, we’ll answer your questions about PSD letters and provide you with the necessary information for obtaining one. We’ll go over who needs a PSD letter, the requirements, what a certified PSD letter looks like, how to get one, and if airlines require them.

By the end of this guide, you’ll have all the information you need to gain a better understanding of the topic.

What Is a PSD Letter?

A PSD Letter or Psychological Service Dog Letter is a certified document held by an individual suffering from an emotional or mental health disability. Such a letter requires that you have a legal service dog supporting you in public or at home to help manage your condition.

Having a PSD Letter is proof of your mental disability and needs as to why you should have and own a psychiatric service dog. It’s usually signed and prescribed by a licensed mental health professional, such as a psychiatrist, psychologist, or therapist.

Who Needs a PSD Letter?

Suppose you are someone who needs emotional support because you suffer from mental health impairment like depression, anxiety, or similar conditions. In that case, a legal service dog will come in handy.

According to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), to qualify for the PSD letter, you must be struggling with a mental disability that physically or psychiatrically limits your life activities. So, not everyone can get it.

If you’re traveling, your service dog needs to meet some requirements. Airlines typically require proof that your PSD is healthy and properly trained before they will allow it onboard. Dogs that aren’t housebroken will likely not be granted access.

What Are the Requirements to Get a PSD Letter?

To be eligible for a PSD letter, you must have a documented mental health disability that meets the criteria set forth by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

The ADA defines those with disabilities as people who are either physically or mentally impaired, making it hard for them to do one or more life activities. You also qualify if you have a history that documents your impairment or are in any way observed by others as impaired.

Your service dog should be accompanied by a current health certificate signed by a veterinarian. Furthermore, the mental health professional must be able to provide evidence that your service dog is necessary in order to assist you with your disability.

Your service dog’s behavior should not threaten other individuals’ health and safety. They should be adequately trained to accompany you everywhere. Obtaining a PSD Letter is a simple and straightforward process if you stick to the requirements as outlined.

What Does a Certified PSD Letter Look Like?

A certified PSD letter is an official document confirming that your pet is a service animal. It asks airlines to allow access to these animals on their aircraft, which may help reduce the stress and anxiety of the passenger.

So what does a certified PSD letter look like? Generally, these letters are printed on official letterhead and signed by a mental health professional who has seen the patient for at least three months.

Certified PSD letters provide essential information about your psychiatric condition, such as your diagnosis, evidence of disability, and recommended treatments or accommodations for the animal. It should also include contact information for both the patient and therapist in case someone needs to verify or call for clarification.

How to Get a PSD Letter?

In order to get a PSD Letter, you should first be evaluated by a mental health professional to determine if you meet the criteria for mental health impairment and if a service dog is necessary to manage your condition.

Providing evidence to support your disability and your emotional need for a service dog is crucial. So you must be wondering, where do you go if you need a PSD letter? Fortunately, getting a PSD letter is simple and fast with the help of Service Paws USA.

Service Paws USA offers an easy-to-use service that helps you get your PSD letter quickly and professionally. All you have to do is fill out their online form and provide some basic information about yourself, your pet, and your travel plans—it takes less than 10 minutes to complete. You can also upload any documents that might be required by the airlines.

Once your form is submitted, Service Paws USA will create your PSD letter, which can be printed or downloaded as a PDF file. Once they have verified all the necessary information, they will email you the completed document ready for download. It’s that simple! The entire process usually takes at most 48 hours from start to finish.

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Do Airlines Require a PSD Letter?

Most airlines require individuals traveling with service dogs to provide a PSD letter to be allowed to bring their pets into the cabin.

Airlines have various policies and procedures that determine whether you can fly with your pet. As such, it is crucial that service dogs not show disruptive behavior during the flight.

The letter should be presented to the airline before the flight. It should include the mental health professional’s contact information in case the airline has any questions or needs additional information. Therefore, you are required to have your PSD letter with you when traveling and it must be less than one year old.

The letter should clearly state the type of assistance the animal provides, such as helping you manage your mental health disability. Tasks performed by your service dog should also be mentioned along with a certification that they have obtained the appropriate training to perform their duties safely and professionally.

What is in a PSD letter?

A PSD letter from a licensed healthcare professional, such as a psychologist, social worker, psychiatrist, doctor, nurse, or counselor, constitutes a PSD letter. It expresses whether the healthcare professional believes the client has a mental or emotional disability that would benefit from the presence of a psychiatric service dog (PSD). The letter is used to document the client’s condition and to provide peace of mind by obtaining the opinion of a licensed third party. A PSD letter is an official document signed and written on official letterhead by a state-licensed health professional.

What is the best way to get a PSD letter?

To obtain a PSD letter, you must first contact a licensed mental health professional and schedule an appointment with them. Once the LMHP has made a diagnosis, you can request a medical letter confirming the benefit of a service dog for your mental health. Service Paw USA offers fast and simple access to professional PSD/ESA letters.

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Elisa Steffes

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MOST FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

FAQ

ESA

1. What is an emotional support animal (“ESA”)?

An emotional support animal, or ESA, is an animal companion that provides comfort and support to someone suffering from a mental or emotional disability such as depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder or a phobia. Emotional support animals and their owners have certain protections under federal and state laws. Landlords, Co-Ops, HOAs, and other housing providers must allow tenants to live with their ESAs free of charge, even if the building has a policy banning pets.

2. How do I qualify for an emotional support animal?

To have a valid emotional support animal, you must be in possession of a recommendation letter from a licensed health care professional (sometimes also referred to as a “licensed mental health professional” or “LMHP”). The ESA letter will establish that you have a disability and that an emotional support animal alleviates symptoms of that disability. Under federal law, this is the only legitimate way to qualify an animal companion as an emotional support animal.

3. Do I need a certificate, registration, license, ID card or vest for my emotional support animal?

A valid ESA letter is the only documentation you need in order to qualify an emotional support animal. Landlords cannot ask for a certificate, registration, license or ID, or insist that your ESA wear a vest. These items do not confer any legal status on emotional support animals. Some ESA owners use such items as tools to signal that their animal companion is an ESA, but they are not mandatory and do not function in lieu of an ESA letter as valid forms of proof for an ESA. There is also no need to register your ESA in a database or registry.

4. Can an emotional support animal enter a grocery store, restaurant, hotel or other public space?

No, ESAs do not have an automatic legal right to be in grocery stores, restaurants, and hotels that prohibit animals. ESA owners have the legal right to be accompanied by their animal companion in their home pursuant to the Fair Housing Act. Only ADA service animals trained to perform tasks (such as seeing-eye dogs for the blind) have public access rights in places like grocery stores and restaurants. Some establishments such as hotels are not obligated by law to accommodate ESAs but will do so anyway as a courtesy. It is best to check with the hotel or other businesses to see if they have a policy regarding emotional support animals.

5. Are emotional support animals a scam? Are online ESA companies such as ESA Doctors scamming their customers?

No, ESAs are not a scam. Regrettably, there is a lot of misinformation and misunderstanding on the internet when it comes to emotional support animals that puts an undeserved cloud over legitimate ESA owners and service companies. Contrary to some myths, there is a developed regulatory framework surrounding emotional support animals in the United States. ESAs are protected by federal laws and government agencies which enforce those laws. There are specific legal requirements that ESA owners must adhere to in order to obtain accommodation under law for their animal companion. Legitimate owners of emotional support animals must have documentation in the form of a recommendation letter from a licensed healthcare provider. Housing providers have the right to demand an ESA letter from the tenant before accommodating an ESA request.

There are also many legitimate emotional support animal services online such as ESADoctors.com. You should proceed with caution with any website that promises that their certification, registration, license or ID will immediately qualify your pet as an emotional support animal. Websites that are not scams will instead connect you to a healthcare professional who is licensed for your state. That professional will conduct an independent assessment of whether an ESA is right for you and issue an ESA letter only if they determine that you qualify. Legitimate ESA companies online cannot guarantee to instantly qualify an emotional support animal, since that determination must come from an independent licensed professional after evaluating the client.

PSD

6. What is a psychiatric service dog?

A psychiatric service dog (or PSD) is a type of service dog that has been individually trained to perform tasks relating to a handler’s mental, emotional or learning disability. Psychiatric service dogs have the same rights as other types of service dogs which assist handlers with physical disabilities. Service dogs have special access rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Fair Housing Act and Air Carrier Access Act. They are allowed to accompany their owners in the home, on-flights and in places where members of the public are generally allowed to go.

7. What is the difference between a psychiatric service dog and an emotional support animal?

A psychiatric service dog is not the same thing as an ESA. The primary difference between a psychiatric service dog and an emotional support animal is that a PSD must be fully trained to perform tasks relating to a disability. A PSD in training does not yet qualify as a service dog. In contrast, ESAs are not required to have any specialized training. ESAs primarily provide comfort to their owners just through their presence and companionship. An ESA also requires a letter of recommendation from a licensed healthcare professional.

PSDs and ESAs also differ in terms of their access rights. ESAs have the right to live with their owners free of charge (even in buildings that prohibit pets) under federal Fair Housing laws and various state laws. PSDs have greater access rights under the ADA and ACAA – they can board flights as well as places generally open to the public like stores.

The other major difference between ESAs and PSDs is that an ESA can be a wide range of animals but a psychiatric service animal can only be a dog.

8. What kind of conditions qualify for a psychiatric service dog?

In order to qualify for a PSD, the handler must have a mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities. That can include things like depression, anxiety, PTSD, phobias, learning disorders and autism. A licensed healthcare professional is best suited to determine whether you have a qualifying condition.

9. How do I fly with my psychiatric service dog?

Under new rules that went into effect in January of 2021, PSDs can board the cabin free of charge as long as the handler submits the Department of Transportation’s Service Animal Transportation Form prior to boarding the flight. The form requires the handler to self-certify that their animal is a trained psychiatric service dog. It also requires information regarding the dog’s trainer (which can be the handler) and veterinarian. Only the handler is required to sign the form.

10. Does a psychiatric service dog have to be professionally trained?

The ADA allows for service animals to be trained by the handler or through a professional. If the handler is confident and capable of training their psychiatric service dog, they are allowed to do so. It is not necessary to use any organization or professional trainer, although those alternatives may be useful for owners who are not experienced in training dogs.

PSD & ESA Approvals in 24-48 Hours

ESA & PSD Letter Approvals in 24-48 Hours