Emotional Support Animal (ESA)

The UCA Office of Accessibility Resources and Services (OARS) provides reasonable accommodations for students with disabilities. Under the Fair Housing Act, an Emotional Support Animal (ESA) may be approved while living in on-campus housing on a case-by-case basis when there is a documented need.

In order to be considered for approval, students residing in on-campus living must complete the OARS Student Registration application.  Students can either upload documentation to the OARS student application or ask their qualified professional to fax documentation to our office at 501-450-5664.  Once your application is completed, the OARS front desk staff will schedule an appointment with an OARS advisor.

Types of Documentation Required

Letterhead Documentation:

In addition to the student’s name and date of documentation, documentation submitted on official letterhead from a health care or mental health qualified professional must have the following information:

– 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 provides therapeutic, emotional support to alleviate a symptom or effect of the disability of the patient/client, and not merely as a pet).

If the documentation on official letterhead from a health care or mental health qualified professional is not readily available, students also have the option of providing the UCA ESA Request Form to their qualified professional.  In order for your qualified professional to use this form, they must download the form in Microsoft Word and save their responses as a PDF.  This will prevent others from gaining access to your personal information.  This entire form must:

– Be completed by a qualified professional.

– Be completed as clearly and thoroughly as possible. Incomplete responses and illegible handwriting will require additional follow up that may delay the review process.

– Be supplemented with any evaluation reports that may provide a more complete understanding of the student. Evaluative reports may include diagnostic reports such as psycho-educational or neuropsychological reports. Please do not provide case notes or rating scales without a narrative that explains the results.

– Be submitted to the Office of Accessibility Resources and Services. All documentation will be held strictly confidential as a student record. This form may be released at the student’s request.

An ESA certificate is not accepted as documentation.

 ESA Committee Next Step Decision Processes:

Once sufficient documentation has been received by OARS, the ESA Committee will meet and review each student request to determine accommodation approval.  The ESA Committee will make a decision within 30 calendar days as to on whether an accommodation will be granted.  Please see the information below on the types of decisions below:

Pending Decision Process: 

The ESA Committee may need additional information from the qualified professional who completed the form for clarification purposes.  Prior to contacting the qualified professional for additional information, the student will be asked to complete an OARS Release to Receive Information Form that will be sent to the qualified professional.  After receiving the additional information from the qualified professional, the ESA Committee will move forward to either approve or deny the request.

Approval Decision Process:

Once the ESA Committee has approved an ESA request, the OARS representative to the ESA Committee will notify the student by phone and email.  The student is required to attend an Animal Housing Guidelines Review Meeting.  After review meeting, the student will complete all OARS Assistance Animal Document Requirements listed within the UCA Housing and Residence Life Animal Housing Guidelines Document.

Denial Decision Process:

The ESA Committee may decide that a requested ESA is not necessary and/or reasonable under the FHA.  Once the ESA committee denies the request, this information will be communicated to the student by phone and email.  The student can choose to appeal the decision and provide additional information to the ESA Committee.  Upon receipt of the appeal, the ESA Committee will reconvene and review all of the relevant information and choose to either grant the appeal, modifying the initial decision, or deny the appeal and maintain the initial decision.  The ESA Committee’s decision shall be final.  If the ESA request is approved after the initial denial decision, the OARS representative will initiate the approval decision process.

Assistance Animals Complaint Form

The Assistance Animals Complaint Form is available to assist with reporting disruptive behavior in regards to a Service Animal or an Emotional Support Animal.  Once the form is completed and submitted, the ESA Committee will meet and make a decision based on the complaint and notify the complainant and offending party.