Many people who suffer from disabilities use service dogs to aid them. Service dogs are especially helpful for individuals who have vision and hearing impairments. They are often used by people with mobility impairments, as well. According to the American Humane Association, there are roughly 20,000 service dogs in the U.S. alone.

Unfortunately, many people try to pass off their pets as service dogs in order to take advantage of the system. This is why Delta Airlines is implementing stricter rules for flying with pets. They hope to curb the number of poser service animals.

Why People Are Pretending Their Pets Are Service Animals

There are places that do not allow the presence of pets, such as certain restaurants and apartment buildings. However, these places do allow service pets since their owners depend on them. Unfortunately, many people pretend that their pets are service animals to bring them to places that normally don’t allow them.

Pretending that your dog is a service animal is ethically questionable. Many critics compare doing so to getting a fake handicap tag for your car. It can cause a major disturbance as well. Pets that are not service animals are not nearly as well behaved. This means that they can cause problems in restaurants, sporting events, apartment buildings and more.

A service dog requires at least two years of training, which can cost upwards of $40,000. Not only are they highly trained, they are incredibly well behaved as well. The difference between a service dog and a regular pet is often night and day, and a pet that acts up under the pretense of being a service animal is giving service animals a bad name.

The problem is that it’s relatively easy to pretend like your pet is a service animal even if it’s not. You can easily go online and purchase a vest that real service dogs often wear. Additionally, people cannot request documentation for a service animal or ask about the specific disability, making it much easier to fake. For a while, there were no laws in place to protect against such misrepresentation either.

The Rules for Flying With a Service Animal

Several states have begun implementing new laws to help protect against service animal misrepresentation. For example, Massachusetts looks to become the 20th state to do so and will charge guilty parties with fines of upwards of $500 and as much as 30 hours of community service.

The problem has been a little more challenging for airlines, such as Delta Airlines. This is because, in addition to having to allow service animals in their cabins, they must also allow emotional support animals under the Air Carrier Access Act. This means that a pet owner can bring their pet into the cabin with them free of charge as long as they say it’s for emotional support.

Delta Airlines is exploring ways to crack down on such misrepresentation as a result of a huge jump in animal incidents on their flights, which include everything from urination and defecation to biting.

If you have a service animal, then make sure you’re familiar with the laws in your state as well as the rules of flying with a service animal. For professional guidance regarding the Social Security programs that you can apply to, call SSDA USA at 602-952-3200 or fill out our contact form for a free consultation. Additionally, you can get in touch with us by using our LiveChat feature.

This is attorney advertising. SSDA, LLC is a group of attorneys that pursues claims for Social Security Disability benefits on behalf of its clients against the Social Security Administration. SSDA, LLC is in no way a part of the Social Security Administration. Further, the information on this blog is for general information purposes only. Nothing herein should be taken as legal advice. This information is not intended to create, and receipt or viewing does not constitute, a representative-client relationship.

If you are suffering from certain disabilities, then not only will you want to apply for Social Security disability benefits, but you may also want to consider investing in a service animal. Service animals can help improve the quality of life for people with disabilities. They can help if you:

• Are blind
• Have limited eyesight
• Are hard of hearing
• Have a physical disability that severely limits your mobility.

If you could benefit from a service animal, check out these three things about disability benefits and  service animals.

1. Your lump sum benefit payment could cover the initial cost of a service animal.

Neither Medicare nor Medicaid will help to cover the costs of getting, feeding, or caring for a service animal. However, your disability benefits should be able to help you cover the costs of your ongoing service animal expenses. Your lump sum benefit payment can most likely cover your initial expenses for obtaining a service animal.

This lump sum payment is often a significant sum that applicants receive at the commencement of their disability benefits. Also, this lump sum is the payment of any back pay benefits. These back pay benefits cover any payments that you should have gotten following the onset of your disability but didn’t as a result of not having applied for benefits right away or as a result of any delays that occurred while your disability claim was under review.

2. Countable income can be reduced by impairment-related work expenses.

Although your income prior to your disability should have no impact on your ability to qualify for disability benefits, there are some limits on how much income you can make while collecting your disability payments. Currently, you cannot earn more than $1,220 a month (if you’re non-blind) or $2,040 a month (if you are blind).

However, if you are using a service animal to get to work, then you can count the costs of having a service animal as an IRWE (impairment-related work expenses), which you can then subtract from your countable income. This means that if you make slightly over the limit, your IRWE could help to bring your income back down to an acceptable level.

The cost of your service animal may also bring you below the SGA (substantial gainful activity) limit required to qualify for SSI (Supplemental Security Income).

3. Certain service animal expenses can fall under IRWE.

The expenses of keeping a service animal may count as IRWEs. This includes:

• If you require a service animal to get to and from work
• The cost of your service animal’s license
• The cost of feeding your service animal
• Providing your service animal with regular veterinary care.

Understand that just because you have a service animal does not mean it automatically falls under IRWE. If using a service animal in your home while not working, any service animal expenses will not be considered work-related.

These are three important things that you should know about service animals in regards to your Social Security disability benefits. If you have more questions concerning your Social Security disability benefits, then be sure to contact us by calling us at 602-952-3200 or by using our LiveChat feature for a free consultation.

This is attorney advertising. SSDA, LLC is a group of attorneys that pursues claims for Social Security Disability benefits on behalf of its clients against the Social Security Administration. SSDA, LLC is in no way a part of the Social Security Administration. Further, the information on this blog is for general information purposes only. Nothing herein should be taken as legal advice. This information is not intended to create, and receipt or viewing does not constitute, a representative-client relationship.