LOS ANGELES COUNTY
DEPARTMENT OF MENTAL HEALTH
  Policy 309.01 Letters for Emotional Support Animals
 
Policy Category:  Clinical
Distribution Level:  Directly Operated 
Responsible Party:  Directly Operated Programs
 
Approved by Curley L. Bonds, MD, Chief Medical Officer, on July 12, 2022
 
I.  PURPOSE
 
To establish a uniform policy for Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health (DMH) directly operated health care practitioners to respond to client requests for letters regarding emotional support animals.
 
II.  DEFINITIONS
 

Health Care Practitioner: A DMH employee who is licensed, regulated, and acting within the scope of practice of their license or certificate in accordance with California BPC Division 2, Healing Arts.

Emotional Support Animal: An animal that does not need to be trained or certified and provides emotional, cognitive, or other similar support to an individual with a disability.

Guide/Service Dog: Any dog trained to perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability.
 
III.  POLICY
 
Health care practitioners shall utilize their clinical judgment to determine whether or not to provide clients with letters for emotional support animals.
  • Health care practitioners may be subject to discipline from their respective licensing boards for any violation of California HSC § 122318.
Prior to providing a letter for an emotional support animal, Health care practitioners shall:
  • Establish a client-provider relationship for at least 30 days.
  • Conduct a thorough disability assessment to determine the client's need for an emotional support animal.
  • Discuss with the client the privacy implications of providing a support letter on DMH letterhead.
  • Discuss with the client that fraudulently representing an emotional support animal to be a guide/service dog is a misdemeanor violation.
  • Obtain supervisor approval.
  • Document a justification of the client's need for an emotional support animal in the clinical record.
All clinical correspondence shall be in accordance with DMH Policy 300.03.

The letter shall be on the current DMH letterhead and contain:
  • Definitions of the following:
    • Emotional support animal
    • Guide/service dog
  • Clarification that this letter is not certifying a guide/service dog.
  • Clarification that the animal has not been evaluated.
  • The statement, "Fraudulently representing an emotional support animal to be a guide/service dog is a misdemeanor violation per California Penal Code § 365.7."
IV.  PROCEDURES
 
No procedures are associated with this policy.
 
V.  AUTHORITIES
 
VI.  ATTACHMENT
 
No attachments are associated with this policy.