"Guide dog or other service animal. Amounts paid to acquire, train, and maintain a guide dog or other service animal are deductible. The taxpayer need not be blind or deaf. Individuals with any type of physical disability are eligible to deduct these expenses."
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United States Department of Housing and Urban Development
Government Agency
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The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development is a Cabinet department in the Executive branch of the United States federal government: Sample letter for Companion Animal - HUD
View the enhanced version of this form
Form No. RPAPL 745:6C Reply Affirmation in Support of Motion for Stay of Summary Holdover Proceeding Pending Determination of Tenant’s Discrimination Complaint by State Division of Human Rights RPAPL § SECTION 745
LETTER FROM A QUALIFIED DOCTOR
Service animal laws do not require you to have a doctor’s letter when going out to public places with any service dog, whether the individual has physical or mental disability. However, outside of the public entities, other entities can require the disabled handler to give specific letters for housing, flying, and the workplace and the reason for the accommodations necessity.
It is crucial for a service animal handler to have a recent doctor’s letter and visit on record so that if you have to go to court, you have proof that your doctor has been consistently supportive and encouraging of your need for the service animal. The letter is determinative on a case-by-case basis on the particular disability the person has, the necessity for the service animal, and the type of work and tasks the animal is required to learn in order to directly benefit and relate to the handler's disability.
For more information on the letter writting process, and what other disabled handler's letters have stated, see “What Every Psychologist Should Know About Writing Letters for Patients with Service Animals” at the following address:
http://doglawreporter.blogspot.com/2013/02/what-every-psychologist-should-know.html
Sample Physician Letter of Prescription
Download PDF Version of Service Animal Prescription Letter
http://www.pawsla.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/Service-Animal-Prescription-Letter.pdf
Source: http://www.pawsla.org/programs/housing-education/sample-physician-letter-of-prescription/
AIRLINE TRAVEL: A LETTER IS A VERY GOOD THING TO HAVE WHEN QUESTIONED WITH LITTLE TIME BEFORE A FLIGHT.
These requirements for the letter are excerpted from http://airconsumer.ost.dot.gov/rules/20030509.pdf
The letter:
* must not more than one year old
* must be on the professional's letterhead
* must be from a mental health professional
and must state all of the following:
(note: bolded phrases are of specific wording that should be used as presented and not paraphrased to minimize rejection of the letter)
1. That the passenger has a mental health-related DISABILITY that appears in the DSM-IV. Note it is not just a mental illness diagnosis, but a mental illness which substantially limits one or more major life activities. Airlines are not permitted to require the documentation to specify the type of mental health disability or the specific diagnosis, but the letter must state that the diagnosis appears in the DSM-IV.
2. That the presence of the animal is necessary to the passenger's health or treatment during the flight and/or at the destination.
3. That the individual writing the letter is a licensed mental health professional and that the passenger is under his or her care. The individual writing the letter should clearly indicate what type of mental health care professional they are (psychiatrist, psychologist, clinical social worker, et cetera).
Source: http://servicedogcentral.org/content/ESA-flying
