An emotional support animal letter (ESA letter) in West Virginia has a number of benefits. Getting an ESA letter online is seamless with verified and legitimate agencies like Pettable. Here's what the process looks like:
Take a Short Online Assessment
The first step is to take our online quiz, a short 3-minute pre-assessment to determine your need for an emotional support animal and ESA letter. The quiz will ask you a series of questions about your specific needs as well as pre-screen your mental health condition.
Attend a Virtual Mental Health Consultation
After completing the quiz, you will be able to schedule a consultation with one of our licensed mental health professionals located in your state. This is the person who will determine whether having an emotional support animal benefits your mental health condition and write you a legitimate ESA letter.
Present Your ESA Letter to Your Landlord
The final step for your West Virginia ESA letter process is to present the ESA letter to your landlord. The letter will enable you to keep your pet with you in your home and exempt your ESA from pet rent or restrictions. If you run into issues with your landlord, don't worry! We will support you throughout the process and provide any additional paperwork or help you communicate with your landlord. If you or your landlord are still not satisfied, we offer a 100% money-back guarantee.
Answer a few questions about your ESA needs
We'll match you to a professional in your state
Receive it within 24 hours of getting approved *
We'll help with any extra forms you need signed and our therapists are available to talk to your landlord anytime, for an additional fee.
* For Arkansas, California, Iowa, Louisiana and Montana residents, new laws requires those seeking an ESA letter to establish a client-provider relationship with the individual for at least 30 days prior to providing documentation, which will result in having two consultations before qualifying.
In West Virginia, emotional support animals are recognized and protected under the federal Fair Housing Act (FHA).
Under West Virginia law, emotional support animals aren’t recognized as service animals, like psychiatric service dogs. This means they aren’t granted the same rights to public access which, in West Virginia, includes public transportation vessels (planes, trains, taxis, buses, ferries, and streetcars), hotels, restaurants, hospitals/health offices, and places of employment.
Some individual states have more specific laws when it comes to service animals and emotional support animals. Still, people with disabilities living in West Virginia are protected under federal laws for assistance animals, including the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Fair Housing Act, and the Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA)
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) protects people with disabilities from discrimination. This can include but is certainly not limited to equal opportunities for housing, employment, public transportation, and public access. The ADA also provides a set of protections specifically for service dogs.
The Fair Housing Act (FHA) is another federal law designed to prevent discrimination regarding rental housing in the United States. This law makes it illegal for landlords to discriminate against prospective tenants regardless of race, ethnic origin, religion, gender identity, orientation, or having a disability — including one that requires an assistance animal.
The state of West Virginia supports and enforces federal emotional support animal housing laws put in place under the Fair Housing Act (FHA). This means that individuals who use an ESA have the right to live with their assistance animal in housing that doesn’t typically allow pets and are exempt from pet fees and other pet policies.
As is true under the Fair Housing Act (FHA) across all 50 states, in West Virginia landlords only have the right to refuse an emotional support animal or a service animal if they threaten the property or the health and safety of other tenants.
The main two requirements to qualify for an emotional support animal in West Virginia are to have a mental health disability, and for your emotional support animal to help alleviate the symptoms of your disability. When you consult with a licensed mental health professional (LMHP) they will be looking to confirm that both are true prior to writing you an ESA letter.
Owning a pet and referring to them as an emotional support animal isn’t the same as having them certified as an emotional support animal. Certifying your pet as an emotional support animal with a legitimate ESA letter from Pettable means your rights to your assistance animal are protected for housing, travel, and employment.
West Virginia residents who experience challenges related to mental health conditions can greatly benefit from the companionship of an emotional support animal.
The comfort, companionship, and unconditional love given by emotional support animals can be hugely helpful for those managing the effects of mental health conditions. Their consistent presence is grounding and provides a source of connection for individuals who need support managing stress and other symptoms of depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, eating disorders, and more.
One of the top functions of an emotional support animal is to help manage the symptoms of a mental health disability. A few examples include symptoms of depression and anxiety, like low motivation, stress, and loneliness, as well as reducing fear or reactions related to certain phobias.
Having your assistance animal certified as a legitimate emotional support animal protects your right to live with them anywhere — even in rental housing that doesn’t typically allow pets. Service dogs and emotional support animals aren’t legally considered pets but rather medical tools used to help manage a disability, ESAs aren’t subject to pet fees or restrictions like other animals.
To get a psychiatric service dog in West Virginia you must first be diagnosed with a qualifying disability by a licensed medical or mental health professional. Their diagnosis is necessary for you to legally qualify for a psychiatric service dog.
Next, you'll have to make sure your dog is trained to perform tasks that alleviate the symptoms of your mental health disability. If you plan on training your own psychiatric service dog, consider taking Pettable's online PSD training program.
Pettable is the best online provider for emotional support animal letters in West Virginia, with proven methods and guaranteed satisfaction. Pettable works with licensed professional mental health care providers in all 50 states, including West Virginia, to ensure your emotional support animal meets the requirements of being legal and legitimate and is afforded all the rights as such.
1. We Guarantee Our Letters Will Work For You
We believe you should not have to worry about your letter working or not. That's why at Pettable we offer a satisfaction guarantee - meaning your letter works or you get your money back.
2. World Class Mental Health Professionals
We have built a team of world class mental health professionals who can write you a PSD Letter prescription guaranteed to work anywhere you go.
3. Unparalleled Customer Support
We know getting your animal approved to travel or live with you can be stressful, which is why we invest so much in our team of dedicated support specialists to make sure you are always taken care of and have the support you need!
4. Licensed in all 50 states
Our network of mental health professionals is deep and spans across the entire country. Additionally, we have a deep team of mental health professionals to make sure we can meet any timeline.
5. Best In Class Legal Support
We are here to make sure your housing and travel needs are taken care of so you don't worry. Our legal team is dedicated to having your back should you need it!
6. Human Connection & Legitimate Evaluations
In order for your letter to work you need to have a live consultation with a mental health professional. At Pettable we make sure our clinicians adhered to HUD standards and conduct consultations over the phone to get to know you and your mental health situation well.
Pettable’s team of experienced professionals are experts at making sure your emotional support animal needs are met. Our providers across the country are vetted and ready to provide you with the necessary care and documentation to make your emotional support animal legal and legitimate. With no hidden fees and a guarantee that an ESA letter from Pettable will work for your needs, you’re sure to be satisfied with the Pettable experience.
MSW, LCSW
Jennifer Bronsnick is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Anxiety Treatment Specialist, & Heartmath Certified Trainer. She provides customized workshops and trainings to working professionals and teams to help build resilience and reduce stress with practical strategies.
MSW, LCSW
I graduated with a Master of Social Work (MSW) from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee before obtaining my Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) in 2021. I have eight years of experience in the mental health field working in and with various populations, including case management, intake coordination, and residential, inpatient, and outpatient programs. I am certified in Brainspotting to help individuals deeply process negative emotions and trauma/significant life events. Additionally, I utilize Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Motivational Interviewing (MI), and safety planning in sessions/groups.
LCSW
As a clinical social worker, I have been able to work within multiple types of settings, such as hospitals, community centers, and family welfare. I enjoy having the clinical and administrative experience to holistically serve those I work with.
An emotional support animal provides comfort to help relieve a symptom or effect related to a person's disability. Also, there is no animal or breed restrictions for ESA's as long as it is reasonable and justified.
Note that being an emotional support animal is not the same as being a service animal (like seeing-eye dogs). These types of animals have stricter criteria that must be met, including different forms of training such as obedience, public access and disability training. These additional trainings are necessary since service dogs have public access and travel rights, unlike emotional support animals who are only protected under housing rights.
ESA's do not have public access or travel rights, so it's best to check with individual business guidelines to see if they allow ESA's. Additionally, you can train your dog to become a PSD (psychiatric service dog) in order to have public access and travel rights.
The general criteria is to have some emotional or psychological condition that is improved by having an animal that provides support. Conditions may include depression, generalized anxiety, paranoia, insomnia, and others. And remember, Emotional Support Animals do not require special training!
Only a licensed mental health professional is qualified to determine if you meet the criteria. Through our service, you can speak directly with a qualified mental health professional in the state where you reside. Pettable connects you with a licensed mental health professional for a consultation to determine if you qualify for an ESA. Unlike, some less legitimate services, we do not provide letters for fee, but instead we connect you to a professional for an honest evaluation.
Step 1: Once payment is submitted and your appointment is scheduled through our website, you will receive an email to activate your account.
Step 2: Once your account is activated, the process will prompt you to fill out the required forms to give more information to your clinician before your scheduled appointment.
Step 3: Your assigned clinician will call you at your scheduled appointment time and will let you know if you have qualified. If you've qualified, your clinician will upload your letter in your portal for you to view and print.
If for any reason you are not approved we will refund your entire purchase.
Get your official ESA Letter
When you take our quiz we collect information to match you with a therapist that has experience with your case and can meet your specific needs.
Additionally, to our knowledge, Pettable is the only provider that offers a full Money Back Guarantee - meaning if you do not qualify for a letter after your consultation or your landlord does not accept it after filing a complaint with the HUD, then we’ll refund 100% of your purchase.
We have experience with every kind of ESA situation - multiple pets, breed restrictions, weight/size restrictions, traveling across state lines, immediate turnaround, etc. We are confident we can help you with your specific ESA needs and if we can't, we will refund your money 100%. See our Money Back Guarantee FAQ for more information.
No problem, we've got your back!
Our mental health professionals should be able to call your landlord to verify the legitimacy of your letter.
Should your landlord request a validation of your letter, please have them reach out to your therapist using the contact information on your ESA letter.
In the unlikely event that your letter does not work as intended and we've tried to make it work with the landlord we will refund your purchase 100%.
We can turn around an ESA letter in as fast as 24 hours! If you need it this quickly make sure to choose our "Express Service." You can select this option at checkout.
To ensure the fastest turn around possible, it is important that you sign and submit our consent forms.
We have an extensive network of mental health professionals, licensed across states, with wide range of availability and can route you to someone that is able to meet your timeline needs.
Once a consultation is concluded, letters are turned around within 24 hours and most of the time much more quickly than that.
After speaking with a licensed mental health professional and receiving your own ESA Letter, all you need to do is designate which animal will be your specific emotional support animal. It can be any breed or species, whether an existing pet or a new pet you adopt or rescue. You do not need to go to any specific breeder or place to acquire one.
Absolutely! There is research and data that support the theory that animals provide substantial and measurable emotional support. If you're thinking about the benefits of an emotional support animal, you can learn more by researching online or talking to qualified mental health professionals in our network.
Our ESA letters contain the following:
The Fair Housing Act requires housing providers such as landlords or management companies to allow the possession of animals that work, provide assistance for, or perform tasks that benefit individuals with qualified medical disabilities – or that provide emotional support to individuals to reduce a symptom or effect of a disability.
The Fair Housing Act also requires individuals, who wish to possess a service or support animal, to follow specific criteria relevant to the type of support needed.
For an emotional support animal, the individual has to speak with a licensed mental health professional in the state they reside and receive a prescription of an ESA Letter in order to qualify.
Although the Fair Housing Act and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development does not specify guidance around the issue of ESA letter expiration, we recommend that you renew your ESA letter annually for a few reasons:
Renewing your letter is easy through our seamless consultation process.
Federal and state laws require a live consultation over the phone, video, or in person to properly vet and qualify an individual to warrant an ESA Letter.
To ensure our ESA letter are compliant, all of our consultations are conducted live over the phone in order to meet the legal standards set forth and assure the validity of your letter.
Yes. Federal and state laws require a live consultation over the phone, video, or in person to properly vet and qualify an individual to warrant an ESA Letter. Since the letter grants privileges about keeping a pet in a place that otherwise would not allow it, base guidelines must be met to qualify.
Yes. An emotional support animal can be any breed or species as long as it supports an emotional or psychological condition.
Since emotional support animals do not require any training, your childhood pet or newly adopted animal can qualify.
Yes, you can register multiple pets on the same ESA letter. At Pettable we can accommodate up to two pets per letter for no additional charge.
According to the American Disabilities Act your request for multiple animals must be "reasonable".
An example of an unreasonable request is if you want four great danes registered as ESAs and you live in a tiny apartment.
In order to make sure we're meeting the standard of "reasonable" Pettable is able to accommodate up to two pets per letter as long as you meet the criteria to warrant an ESA letter.
At the end of the day it is a judgement call but we want to make sure that you are covered in any situation you're in, which is why we've set this policy.
Once you have a proper ESA Letter, your landlord is required by the Fair Housing Act to allow you to keep your designated emotional support animal with you at your place of residence.
Sometimes landlords create barriers for individuals in attempt to refrain from accommodating legitimate ESA's. If this occurs please reach out to your assigned mental health professional to validate or assist in verifying your legitimate ESA letter.
At Pettable, we understand at a personal level the positive impact an animal can have on your life.
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