Service Animal Registry of America
Frequently Asked Questions
Information provided herein is
for general information purposes and should not be considered legal advice.
Please consult an attorney for
your specific law related questions.
What
is a service animal?
According to the Americans with
Disabilities Act: "Service animal means any guide dog, signal dog, or
other animal individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit
of an individual with a disability, including, but not limited to, guiding
individuals with impaired vision, alerting individuals with impaired hearing to
intruders or sounds, providing minimal protection or rescue work, pulling a
wheelchair, or fetching dropped items."
"Service
animal." The term "service animal" encompasses any guide
dog, signal dog, or other animal individually trained to provide assistance to
an individual with a disability. The term is used in 36.302(c), which
requires public accommodations generally to modify policies, practices, and
procedures to accommodate the use of service animals in places of public
accommodation."
Does
my service animal require professional training to be SARA registered?
A service animal by its very
definition is an animal that is trained to perform the functions of assisting
its disabled handler. However, the training does not need to be performed by a
professional or expert trainer. Many have trained their own animals or have been
assisted in training by friends and family. What is most important is that the
training is effective and the animal does perform the tasks required to assist
its disabled handler and is well controlled in public.
My service animal is still being trained.
Can it be registered now?
If the animal is already
assisting the disabled handler, it may be SARA registered as a service animal,
even though, all of its training is not completed. If not, it may be registered
as a service animal in training.
What
species can be a service animal?
SARA does not place any
limitations upon the species or breed of service animal used by a disabled
handler. Any trainable animal could be a service animal. The most common of
course are dogs, cats, primates and birds. Any animal that has been effectively
trained to perform the tasks required to benefit a qualified disabled handler
could be considered to be a service animal.
What
is the difference between a service animal, support animal, helper animal, and
an assistance animal?
They are the same, except for
the terminology. The term Service Animal is the federal legal term.
What
is the difference between a service animal and a therapy animal?
A therapy animal, although a
valued companion with an important purpose, is usually legally considered as
any other companion pet would be, and as such, is afforded no special
consideration under the law in housing, transportation or public access.
Many therapy animals visit nursing homes, orphanages, hospitals, etc., others
reside in group living environments, doctor/dentist offices, rehab centers, as
well as in the private homes of individuals who benefit from the therapeutic
companionship of the animal.
A service animal on the other hand is given special consideration under the
laws of our land. A service animal is for the benefit of a legally qualified
disabled individual, and it has been trained (conditioned) to assist (by a task
or function) that disabled individual. This assistance may often be therapeutic
in nature, but the animal is nonetheless considered a service animal Such as
animals for emotional support or Autism support who are trained to sit/stay or
lay still and stay for extended periods of time to provide a focal point,
divert thoughts, and other such trained (conditioned) tasks.
When an animal is trained to assist (help, aid, support) a qualified disabled
individual due to the disability, the animal is considered a service animal
rather than a therapy animal.
Generally, under the federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and other
federal laws concerning service animals, two primary questions exist in whether
a person has a legal right to claim their animal as a service animal.
1. Is the individual qualified as being legally disabled under the law? Disability
means, with respect to an individual, a physical or mental impairment
that substantially limits one or more of the major life activities
of such individual; a record of such an impairment; or being regarded as having
such an impairment. Major life activities means functions such as caring
for one's self, performing manual tasks, walking, seeing, hearing, speaking,
breathing, learning, and working.
2. Has the animal been taught to perform a task or do work that assists the
disabled individual? When an animal has been taught to assist (help, aid,
support) a disabled individual due to the disability, the animal is considered
a service animal.
Some State laws may offer greater rights within that state under State law.
Are
service animals required to wear special equipment?
The ADA does not require any
special equipment or attire. Some State statutes do have specifications. The
most commonly used equipment is a collar, leash, harness, backpack, neck scarf
(bandana), cape, vest, jacket or T-shirt. Often attire will have an identifying
patch to immediately
alert the public that the animal is a service animal. The color red is most
often used and is universally recognized as the service animal color.
Does
the SARA ID card list my disability or personal information?
NO! No medical information or
personal contact information is contained on the ID card. The photo ID
identifies your service animal and contains its SARA number.
Does
SARA require evidence of my disability to register a Service Animal?
The applicant must sign a
declaration under penalty of perjury and have it witnessed verifying the person
is disabled. In the event no witness is available, a Dr. RX stating you
are disabled and require a service animal will suffice. SARA is not a
HIPAA entity; we do require disclosure of your disability to SARA on the
Service Animal application for an application to be considered. Although SARA
is not a HIPAA entity, SARA regards such information as private. Further, SARA
protects your sensitive information in every reasonable way possible. Unlike
some organizations, we will never voluntarily disclose or provide any of your
private health information to other parties except when SARA is required by law
to do so.
What forms of payment does SARA accept?
U.S. funds in the form of a
check, money order, cash, or cashier check. Rush orders are by money order
only.
How
long will it take to receive my order with normal processing?
We make every attempt to offer
a fast turn around service. Processing times vary due to our workload. On the
average, we process your application within 15-20 business days after it is
received in our office. However, at certain times of the year we are busier
than normal. Also, keep in mind that sometimes the mail service is sluggish.
Allow 4-6 weeks.
Do
you have rush service? I'm in a hurry.
We offer a 10 business day
processing turn around rush service for an additional fee of $20.00 when order
payment is made by money order. The 10 day processing does not include mail
transport time. Please double check your application and make sure you include
all information, a photo and payment by money order. Incomplete orders,
illegible applications and checks will delay the processing time. While we
make every possible attempt to work within your timeframe, do understand that
SARA cannot guarantee delivery by a certain date.
Can I
email my application and photo or order?
No, all orders are by postal
mail.
What
kind of photo is needed?
We need one clear color photo
of the animal. PLEASE READ OUR PHOTO INFO PAGE
I
live outside the U.S. can I still register my service animal?
Yes. However, you will need to
contact us for information on shipping fees to your Country.
How
do I renew my SARA registration and photo?
Just use the registration
application to update your information and include the SARA number that was
issued and send a current photo with the appropriate fee stated on the
application. New documentation will then be issued. Renewals do not require a witness.
What
is your mailing Address?
SARA, PO Box 607, Midlothian,
Texas 76065
Shipping
and Damage/Loss Claims
Effective 5-02: We ship all items by first class, insured, USPS mail. Your shipment is insured against loss or damage through USPS insurance. SARA is not responsible for items lost or damaged in transit. You must file a claim directly with USPS to recover the value of the shipment. USPS CLAIMS FAQ