Is there anything worse than something going wrong during your long-awaited vacation? Sometimes vacation disasters happen from things beyond your control, but other times they’re caused by mistakes in the planning process. That was the story of my last vacation. I planned for months and found that I had thought of everything, including how to bring my emotional support dog, Walt, with me. It is an essential part of my daily life because it helps me manage the symptoms of PTSD. I realized a few years ago that the anxiety and panic attacks I was having were not normal. After many doctor visits, I was diagnosed with PTSD. My doctor worked with me to develop a treatment plan and my life improved. So I bought my Golden Retriever, Walt, and realized how much easier it was to manage my daily symptoms and triggers when he was with me. Fortunately, my apartment complex has no dog restrictions, so I didn’t have to sign any additional forms or pay additional fees to have Walt in my home. But when I started thinking about vacations, I was worried about traveling without him. Traveling can be difficult for people with PTSD: airports, flights, and unfamiliar places are potential triggers. I knew I would have to take Walt with me if I wanted my trip to be relaxing. After doing some research, I realized that I could take Walt with me on the plane if I had documentation that he was a service animal. Although the Airline Access Act no longer requires airlines to allow ESAs, I found an operator with an ESA program and purchased my ticket. I went to get an ESA letter online and found a website that offered fast service and low prices. I emailed a copy of my letter to the airline’s customer service department to make sure everything was ready for my trip. The answer I received almost ruined my vacation: my letter to the ESA was apparently false. It did not meet federal requirements or airline guidelines for documentation of emotional support animals. I felt horrible trying to figure out how to salvage my plans. My trip would be in less than a week and I already paid everything. Fortunately, I was able to find a legitimate online service that provided a genuine letter from the ESA. The Pettable ESA letter service made it easy to conduct a telephone assessment with a mental health professional. After reviewing my symptoms and diagnosis, he sent me an official letter that was much more detailed and professional than the cockroach I had. I emailed the document to the airline and crossed my fingers. I received a quick response that I was eligible for the airline’s ESA program and would be allowed to take Walt on the plane with me. I was lucky enough to be about to find a way to quickly get a legitimate letter from the ESA. But my original mistakes made planning my vacation extremely stressful. I hope my story can help others avoid falling for a fake ESA scam.
What is an emotional support animal?
An emotional support animal (ESA) is a dog, cat, or other animal whose presence helps alleviate symptoms of mental illness. An ESA is not the same as a service animal: they are not trained to perform specific tasks like guide dogs. However, emotional support animals can be essential to the daily life of a person with a mental or emotional disability. To be officially considered a service animal with legal housing and travel protection, an emotional support animal must be “prescribed” by a medical professional. In most cases, this means that a licensed mental health professional (LMHP) who diagnoses a patient with a mental illness will write an official letter recommending an ESA as part of the treatment plan. A letter from a medical provider provides proof that the owner needs your ESA to address his or her disability. With a charter, emotional support animals are exempt from pet restrictions in certain situations.
Top 5 Signs of an Online ESA Card Scam
Unfortunately, not all online ESA chart providers are legitimate. There are many emotional support animal scams on the internet. A fake ESA letter does not give your dog or cat any legal rights. Before you pay for an ESA letter for your next trip, be sure to check out these common signs of a fraudulent service:
1. Instantly Available Letters Any website that offers instant eligibility for ESA letters is a scam. To meet state and federal requirements, an ESA must be written and signed by a licensed mental health professional after an evaluation. Don’t trust a site that allows you to “qualify” for a letter simply based on an online questionnaire or self-assessment.
2. Lack of identifying details For a valid ESA letter, you cannot simply add your details to a generic fill-in-the-blank form. A real ESA letter is fully personalized and has many specific details, including your LMHP’s full name, license number, contact information and signature. The letter must also include your full name, a diagnosis of your mental or emotional disability, and a recommendation for an ESA. Some experts recommend including details about your ESA, such as species and breed.
3. No customer support A scam ESA website exists to make money, not to help people. If you can’t find contact details for a customer support team or any information on what to do if you need help with your letter, it’s a sign the provider is incomplete. A reliable ESA service will have customer service representatives available who can help you with legal advice if a travel supplier or rental company tries to deny your letter.
4. Extremely Low Price Legitimate ESA charts typically cost between $100 and $200, which makes sense given the time and effort it takes to facilitate evaluations with licensed mental health professionals. Beware of sites that offer cheap letters from emotional support animals. With ESA documentation, as with most things, you get what you pay for.
5. Registration or Certification Options There are countless emotional support animal sites on the Internet that promise to register your ESA dog or cat in an “official” service animal database. Some of these sites also provide letters from the ESA, while others insist that all you need is a certificate showing that your animal is ‘registered’. In fact, there is no such thing as an ESA database or registry. The registration certificate has no legal power. The only document that proves your cat or dog is a service animal is a legitimate letter from the ESA. Do not trust a provider that makes money from unnecessary certification services.
How to know if your ESA letter online is valid
If you see any of the red flags listed above, you should be aware that the ESA online service you are looking at is probably a scam. But how can you be sure your ESA letter is legitimate? These are the marks of a genuine ESA letter that meets state and federal requirements.
Personal details: A legitimate letter from the ESA must include your full name and a diagnosis of your mental or emotional disability. Provider Information: To be valid, an ESA letter must be written by a medical professional licensed to practice in your state. The document must be written on your provider’s official letterhead and include your license number and contact details. It must be signed and dated. Medical Recommendation: The letter must state that the LMHP recommends an emotional support animal for your mental health condition. The document may also include details about the emotional support animal, such as species, breed, and/or name. Correct time frame: An ESA letter is only valid for travel purposes for one year. If your trip occurs more than 365 days after the date your letter was signed, you will need to obtain an updated document. Ongoing Customer Support – If the company you receive your ESA letter from is willing to support you in the face of challenges from travel organizations and airlines, that’s a good indication that the document is legitimate. A reliable online ESA service should allow you to contact their support team if you have any problems using your letter. Satisfaction Guarantee: A provider of legitimate ESA charts must be willing to issue refunds for charts that are rejected in practice. Fake ESA letter scams do not have money-back guarantees. A strong reimbursement policy indicates that the provider will not write an ESA letter for anyone who does not meet all the eligibility requirements.
When choosing an ESA letter provider, it is essential to ensure that you obtain a valid document from a company that you can trust. If you have to obtain an evaluation from an LMHP and your document includes all the relevant information and signatures, you can be sure that it is legitimate.
Get a valid ESA letter from Pettable
Image Credit: Pettable
When you’re hoping for a little R&R with your emotional support dog or cat, the last thing you want to worry about is being turned away at the airport. Unfortunately, that can happen if your ESA documentation is false. Before you travel, make sure you get a legitimate ESA letter from a reputable provider. The Pettable ESA letter meets all federal and state requirements and is also HIPAA and ACAA compliant. If an airline or travel provider questions your letter, you can ask them to contact Pettable directly. With a true emotional support animal charter, you have everything you need for a relaxing getaway.
