Frequently asked questions
Trust & legitimacy
Is this legit, or is it a scam?
Every letter involves a real, live phone consultation with a licensed clinician, never a quiz that auto-generates a document. Our clinicians are real and named. Meet them on our clinicians page before you ever book. There is no such thing as an official national ESA registry; any site claiming to "register" your pet is not offering anything legally meaningful.
Do I get to choose which clinician I talk to?
You pick a time, and we match you with whichever of our licensed clinicians is available then, the same way booking a doctor's appointment usually works. Every clinician on our team is real, named, and licensed regardless of who you're matched with; see them all on our clinicians page.
How is my information kept private?
Your assessment answers and consultation notes are only visible to you, your assigned clinician, and authorized staff handling your order, and never published or shared with third parties. We don't have a compliance certification to advertise, and we won't claim one we don't have; what we can tell you is exactly how access is restricted, and we'd rather be precise about that than vague about a badge.
Speed & pricing
How fast will I get my letter?
Standard turnaround is 24 hours after your consultation, outside the 5 states that legally require a 30-day clinician relationship (see your state's page). We don't gate that speed behind a paid upsell. It's the baseline.
What if I don't qualify?
You're not charged, or you're refunded if you already were. See our money-back guarantee.
Will I be charged again later without asking?
No. Checkout is a single itemized price. There is no bundled subscription anywhere in this product, by design. You'll only ever be charged again if you explicitly choose to (e.g. an annual renewal you initiate).
Still deciding?
Start the assessment. You're not charged unless a clinician confirms you qualify.
ESA letters
Does this work for any pet, or just dogs?
Any animal that provides you emotional support, commonly cats and dogs, but the process itself isn't species-restricted.
Does an ESA letter guarantee my airline will let my pet fly free?
No. See our Air Travel page. Airlines haven't been required to accommodate ESAs the way they once were since a 2021 rule change. Housing is where this letter has real, reliable legal weight.
PSD letters
What's the difference between an ESA letter and a PSD letter?
An ESA helps just by being present, with no training required. A Psychiatric Service Dog (PSD) has to be trained to perform a specific task tied to your disability (interrupting a panic attack, deep-pressure therapy, retrieving medication, and similar). PSDs also get broader ADA public-access rights that ESAs don't have. See our PSD explainer for the full breakdown.
Does a PSD letter legally certify my dog?
No, and be wary of any site that claims to "certify" or "register" a service dog, since no official national registry exists. Under the ADA, a business can only ask whether the dog is required because of a disability and what task it's trained to perform; documentation can't legally be demanded. Our letter is real clinical documentation of your disability and the dog's trained task, useful in practice with landlords, employers, and airlines who ask for more than the ADA technically requires, but it isn't a government certificate.
My dog just comforts me and hasn't been trained to do anything specific. Which letter do I need?
An ESA letter. PSD status legally requires a specific trained task tied to your disability, not just comforting presence. You can always come back for a PSD letter later once training is further along.
Still have a question?
Email our support team and a person will get back to you: support@viatalahealth.com
Or call us: +1 (346) 651-1182