People with disabilities rely heavily on service dogs in their daily lives. These devoted pets have been trained to assist their owners with daily duties. In addition, some have even received specialized training for individuals with autism, diabetes, or epilepsy. However, service dogs can become ill or wounded and need veterinary attention just like regular dogs do. Therefore, the owners are left with a crucial question: does insurance cover service dogs?
Given the high expense of these dogs, owners can save a lot of money by purchasing service dog insurance. Moreover, save as much money as you can if you have a disability that necessitates costly medical expenditures. This article will discuss everything you need to know about service dogs and the insurance type that can cover them.
Does Insurance Cover Service Dogs?
Health insurance plans do not cover costs associated with obtaining, training, or maintaining service dogs, even though these animals offer invaluable support to people with disabilities. However, you can afford this purchase with the aid of nonprofit organizations and alternative financing methods. A pet health insurance policy will shield you from unforeseen medical expenses that your service dog may require. This is if you have a service animal.
What is a service dog?
A service dog is a pet that is trained to assist or work for a person with a disability. These dogs help in different ways, depending on what their handler needs. A service dog may be observed assisting with:
- Direct handlers through obstructions in public areas…
- Notify handlers who are hard of hearing about commonplace noises like the doorbell ringing or an alarm going off.
- Help with mobility duties, such as pushing a wheelchair or providing stability assistance…
- Recognize mental episodes and assist in mitigating their impact.
- If their handler is having a seizure, get help.
With one notable exception, insurance does not typically cover handlers in obtaining or keeping service dogs. Veterans can receive service dogs and training for free from accredited organizations. The VA provides these service dogs with complete veterinarian care, which can cover yearly check-ups for preventative care, urgent and emergency care, and prescription drugs.
How Much Do Service Dogs Cost?
The pricing range for service dogs is rather high, from $15,000 to $50,000. The cost of providing your dog with ongoing care must also be taken into account. This could include food, toys, vaccinations, veterinary visits, and extra training. These additional costs can easily add up to an additional $500 to $10,000 a year.
Who Qualifies for a Service Dog
Service dogs, along with occasional miniature horses, work or execute duties on behalf of individuals with impairments. These are the kinds of limitations for which these animals can be trained:
- Both partial and total blindness.
- Partial and total deafness.
- Immobility.
- Seizures.
- PTSD and other mental health issues in the context of psychiatric service dogs.
Not all of the conditions covered by the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) are listed in detail. A person must have a physical or mental impairment that significantly limits at least one major life activity, have a disability history or record, or be regarded by others as having a disability to be covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
What Insurance Can Cover Service Dogs
Considering how costly and essential your service animal is to your quality of life, you may want to look into getting your dog insured for less than one of several different plans. A few examples include liability, life, and health insurance for service dogs. Furthermore, if your disability does not prevent you from driving, you should also make sure that your car insurance covers dog injuries.
Service dog liability insurance
Homeowners’ and renters insurance packages cover service animals and emotional support animals in the same way as any other pet. Your insurance company will pay any lawsuits and associated medical expenses up to the pet liability coverage limit under your policy if your animal unintentionally injures someone or damages property.
Service dog life insurance
Pet life insurance is typically bought for desirable or uncommon breeds like French Bulldogs, as well as working animals that bring in money, such as show dogs. Given that service dogs can be costly to train and possibly hard to replace without financial support, this kind of insurance coverage may also be a wise investment in their situation.
Pet health insurance for service dogs
It could be prudent to safeguard both your dog’s health and your finances in the event of an accident or illness, given that service dogs are an expensive investment. Service dog insurance offers several advantages, such as coverage for medical emergencies, prescription drugs, sicknesses, lab testing, and more, to make sure your friend can stay by your side for as long as possible.
How to Cover for a Service Dog
Even though the price of a service animal can be considerable, there are several ways to pay for it, depending on where you reside, including social security, employer payment plans, and state programs.
Social Security Disability Income (SSDI)
You can utilize a portion of your monthly SSDI (Social Security Disability Insurance) income to pay for daily care and training expenses for your service dogs, assuming you meet the program’s eligibility requirements. In certain circumstances, SSDI further provides a lump payment option that you can use to cover the service animal’s initial cost.
VHA Prosthetic and Sensory Aids Service (PSAS)
You may be qualified for coverage for a service animal if you are a veteran and get compensation from the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Although the VA does not supply service dogs, the Prosthetic and Sensory Aids Service (PSAS) does offer this insurance benefit to veterans who qualify.
Flexible Savings Account (FSA)
Establishing a Flexible Savings Account (FSA), which permits tax-free savings, is one choice. However, keep in mind that to be eligible, you will require a letter of medical necessity (LMN) from your physician.
Assistance Dog Special Allowance Program (ADSA)
For qualifying individuals who utilize signal, guide, or service dogs, the Assistance Dog Special Payment (ADSA) Program pays a $50 monthly government payment for service dogs. This allowance is meant to assist in covering the expense of the animal’s food, veterinary treatment, and grooming.
Plans for employer payments
Employers might also offer flexible payment choices to their disabled employees. The employees are able to deduct some expenses associated with their service animals from their pre-tax income thanks to these payments.
The animal needs to be specially trained to carry out duties or help its owner with chores they are unable to accomplish on their own, and the disability needs to be officially recorded. It should be mentioned that emotional support dogs are not covered by these flexible payment arrangements.
Final Thoughts
Your health insurance plan cannot cover service dogs. However, numerous resources and community initiatives are available to help eligible individuals finance the initial acquisition of a service dog at a discounted or free cost. Consider getting pet insurance after you get the dog to help with unexpected medical costs. In this manner, your service dog maintains good health and can help you for many years to come.
