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How Emotional Support Animal Letters Work
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How to Get an ESA Letter in Illinois
To get an ESA letter in Illinois is quite simple and involves three basic steps.
First, you’ll complete a questionnaire online; then, a licensed therapist will contact you to evaluate your qualifications for an emotional support animal letter. Lastly, you’ll receive a letter via your email.
The most crucial process here is the evaluation process. The licensed mental health professional (LMHP) has to ascertain that you need an emotional support animal. This usually happens through a phone call but can also be through an in-person consultation.
Emotional Support Animal Laws in Illinois
In Illinois, ESA laws provide for their inclusion in homes, public transport, and specific public places, albeit with variations.
While ESAs are permitted in residential settings, their access in workplaces and public areas is not uniform and depends on specific policies or management discretion.
Essential to this is the requirement of an ESA letter from a licensed mental health professional in Illinois, which differentiates ESAs from service animals and acknowledges their role in emotional support.
Illinois ESA Housing Laws
Under Illinois housing laws, influenced by the FHA, ESA owners are shielded from discrimination in residential contexts.
Landlords must provide reasonable accommodations for ESAs, requiring an emotional support animal letter for verification. This law prohibits additional charges or pet restrictions but allows landlords to refuse ESAs if they pose a threat or cause significant damage.
These housing laws balance the needs of ESA owners and property owners' rights. While landlords cannot inquire about specific diagnoses, they can seek enough information to understand the tenant's need for an ESA.
The law also restricts landlords from demanding pet deposits or fees for ESAs, ensuring that ESA owners can reside with their animals without undue financial burden.
Illinois ESA Travel Laws
Unfortunately, unlike the housing laws, you’re not automatically privileged to always have your emotional support animal the way you’d like.
The federal law changes in 2021 no longer allow ESA owners to board flights for free. You must consult the airline in advance, where they’ll determine whether to let you board the plane with the ESA.
The airline will most likely ask you about the animal - their size, the type, etc. If your animal isn’t a threat to other travelers, the airline will probably have no problem letting you board the plane with the ESA.
The only animals allowed to travel without any hindrances are service animals. Per the Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA), service animals differ from emotional support animals. The latter hasn’t been trained to perform practical tasks for the disabled person.
However, the state of Illinois recognizes PSDs (psychiatric service dogs), who are somewhere between service animals and ESAs. The PSDs have been trained to assist people with mental health disability.
Illinois ESA Laws for Public Access
You'll need to check with the manager if you’d like to bring your ESA to a restaurant, library, hotel, or store. According to Illinois laws, only service animals can access any public place.
However, with a polite courtesy like calling ahead to check with the establishment, you’ll rarely be denied access to the building. They’ll request to see your ESA letter to confirm your qualifications to have an emotional support animal.
How Do You Qualify For An ESA Letter in Illinois?
To qualify for an ESA letter in Illinois, you must be considered to be going through some kind of mental health. It can be depression, bipolar, PTSD, and panic attacks.
It’s the job of a state-licensed mental health professional to evaluate you and determine how much you need the emotional support animal.
Without the LMHP’s approval, you can’t have an ESA letter. That’s because they’ll have assessed your situation and determined the ESA pet won’t benefit your mental health.
ESA Letter in Illinois Frequently Asked Questions
Get Your ESA Letter Now
You should get an ESA letter if you have a pet you find very emotionally supportive and helpful to your mental health.
This way, the ESA letter in Illinois will protect you from discrimination whenever you’re traveling, moving into a new place, or you’d like to access a public place.
So, go ahead and get your ESA letter now. The process is straightforward; you don’t have to jump through hoops to acquire one.