Service Animal: FSA Eligibility

What are service animals?

Animals have long been used to assist individuals who have physical disabilities, such as persons who are blind or deaf, but in recent decades the medical community has embraced companion animals for their profound effects on individuals who experience mental or emotional disabilities.

However, service animals are their own unique distinction and are different from emotional support animals or therapy animals that can be used in a variety of medical applications. A service animal is defined as a dog or miniature horse that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for a person with a disability. Some examples of this include guiding the blind, calming a person with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) during anxiety attacks, alerting people who are deaf, pulling a wheelchair, providing assistance during a seizure, providing medication reminders and more. (ADA.gov).