From HUD FHEO-2020-01 page 16-17
When providing this information, health care professionals should use personal knowledge of their patient/client – i.e., the knowledge used to diagnose, advise, counsel, treat, or provide health care or other disability-related services to their patient/client. Information relating to an individual’s disability and health conditions must be kept confidential and cannot be shared with other persons unless the information is needed for evaluating whether to grant or deny a reasonable accommodation request or unless disclosure is required by law.
As a best practice, documentation contemplated in certain circumstances by the Assistance Animals Guidance is recommended to include the following general information:
• The patient’s name,
• Whether the health care professional has a professional relationship with that patient/client involving the provision of health care or disability-related services, and
• The type of animal(s) for which the reasonable accommodation is sought (i.e., dog, cat, bird, rabbit, hamster, gerbil, other rodent, fish, turtle, other specified type of domesticated animal, or other specified unique animal).
Disability-related information. A disability for purposes of fair housing laws exists when a person has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities. 53 Addiction caused by current, illegal use of a controlled substance does not qualify as a disability.54 As a best practice, it is recommended that individuals seeking reasonable accommodations for support animals ask health care professionals to provide information related to the following:
• Whether the patient has a physical or mental impairment,
• Whether the patient’s impairment(s) substantially limit at least one major life activity or major bodily function, and
• Whether the patient needs the animal(s) (because it does work, provides assistance, or performs at least one task that benefits the patient because of his or her disability, or because it provides therapeutic emotional support to alleviate a symptom or effect of the disability of the patient/client, and not merely as a pet).
Additionally, if the animal is not a dog, cat, small bird, rabbit, hamster, gerbil, other rodent, fish, turtle, or other small, domesticated animal that is traditionally kept in the home for pleasure rather than for commercial purposes, it may be helpful for patients to ask health care professionals to provide the following additional information:
• The date of the last consultation with the patient,
• Any unique circumstances justifying the patient’s need for the particular animal (if already owned or identified by the individual) or particular type of animal(s), and
• Whether the health care professional has reliable information about this specific animal or weather they specifically recommended this type of animal.
