Pet insurance policy

The following comes from the regional insurance policy packet page 3, which all Peninsula meetings use:

Pets Are Not Allowed

NCRSO’s policy DOES NOT provide coverage for pets of any kind at meetings. The only exception is if a person needs the assistance of a service animal as defined in the Americans with Disabilities Act (see below).

THE TEXT OF THE REVISED TITLE III REGULATIONS OF THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITY ACT, Part 36

Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Disability in Public Accommodations and Commercial Facilities (as amended by the final rule published on September 15, 2010) § 36.104 Definitions

Service animal means any dog that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability, including a physical, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual, or other mental disability. Other species of animals, whether wild or domestic, trained or untrained, are not service animals for the purposes of this definition. The work or tasks performed by a service animal must be directly related to the handler´s disability. Examples of work or tasks include, but are not limited to, assisting individuals who are blind or have low vision with navigation and other tasks, alerting individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing to the presence of people or sounds, providing nonviolent protection or rescue work, pulling a wheelchair, assisting an individual during a seizure, alerting individuals to the presence of allergens, retrieving items such as medicine or the telephone, providing physical support and assistance with balance and stability to individuals with mobility disabilities, and helping persons with psychiatric and neurological disabilities by preventing or interrupting impulsive or destructive behaviors. The crime deterrent effects of an animal´s presence and the provision of emotional support, well-being, comfort, or companionship do not constitute work or tasks for the purposes of this definition.

The presence of ANY animal not meeting the ADA definition of “Service Animal” could cause a claim to be denied by NCRSO’s insurance company.

Service Animal

There are the two questions that can legally be asked. When it is not obvious what service an animal provides, only limited inquiries are allowed. The two questions are:

(1) Is the dog a service animal required because of a disability?

(2) What work or task has the dog been trained to perform?

Members cannot ask about the person’s disability, require medical documentation, require a special identification card or training documentation for the dog, or ask that the dog demonstrate its ability to perform the work or task.