Justice Department Clarifies Service Animal Rules - Disability Scoop
Justice Department Clarifies Service Animal Rules - Disability Scoop
The document defines a service animal as a dog that has been “individually trained to do work or perform tasks for an individual with a disability” that is directly related to their disability. No certification, licensing, identification or documentation is required.
Service animals can accompany people with disabilities in a wide variety of circumstances including at salad bars or other self-service food lines, in ambulances and hospitals and at hotels where they should not be limited to or charged extra for “pet-friendly” rooms, the Justice Department said.
Under federal law, businesses looking to assess if a dog is a service animal may only ask if the animal is required due to a disability and what work or task the dog is trained to perform.
“Accordingly, entities that have a ‘no pets’ policy generally must modify the policy to allow service animals into their facilities.”
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