Does insurance cover service dogs? Service dogs are an essential part of the lives of people with disabilities. These loving animals are trained to assist their owners in performing daily tasks, and some are specially trained to help people with epilepsy, diabetes, or autism.
However, similar to consistent dogs, service dogs can also get sick or injured and need veterinary care. This raises an important question for owners, which asks, does insurance cover service dogs? Service dog insurance is an excellent opportunity for owners to save money, as these dogs can be expensive. Besides, if you have a disability that needs expensive medical bills, saving money wherever possible is crucial.
What Is a Service Dog?
A service dog is a specially trained dog that assists someone with a disability, as outlined in the Americans with Disabilities Act. Depending on the needs of their handler, these dogs can help in a lot of ways. For example, a service dog can assist in guiding their handler around obstacles in public places and alert hearing-impaired handlers to everyday sounds. They assist with mobility tasks like pulling a wheelchair or offering balance support. They also detect psychiatric episodes, assist in lessening their impact, and even go for help if their handler has a seizure.
It’s worth noting that insurance typically doesn’t cover the cost of getting or maintaining a service dog, except for one exception. Veterans who qualify for the Department of Veterans Affairs veterinary health benefit can get assistance if they have a service dog trained by an Assistance Dogs International (ADI) or International Guide Dog Federation (IGDF) accredited organization.
Types of Service Dogs
There are different types of service dogs, but just a few will be listed below, which are as follows:
Autism Support Dogs
Dogs are often trained to assist children with autism by helping them navigate social settings and offering comfort during stressful times. They can also stop children from running off by tracking them.
Allergy Detection Dogs
Allergy detection dogs are normally paired with children who have severe allergies. These dogs are trained to recognize allergens such as eggs, peanuts, or gluten and alert their handlers. This gives children a greater sense of independence and their parents peace of mind.
Psychiatric Service Dogs
Psychiatric service dogs assist people in experiencing anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). They serve terrorism victims, military veterans, victims of abuse or natural disasters, and car crash victims. These dogs help their handlers feel safer and less hypervigilant by entering their home before them and turning on the light with the use of a foot pedal.
Diabetic Alert Dogs
Service dogs, also known as DADs, offer security by alerting people to high and low sugar levels before something hazardous happens. Some of these dogs also help to alert other household members if their owner needs medical attention.
Seizure Alert Dogs
It is important not to confuse them with seizure-alert dogs, which are trained to assist someone having an epileptic episode. Seizure response dogs help humans move if a seizure happens in an unsafe place. Furthermore, they could also bring medicine or a phone to someone recovering from a seizure.
Seizure Response Dogs
Service dogs can react with a specific behavioral response before their handlers have seizures. These dogs are a bit contentious because a lot of medical experts claim that there is no evidence in medical literature to show the ability of dogs to predict seizures accurately. However, a lot of patients, trainers, and families insist they have experienced it.
Hearing Dogs
Service dogs are used for people with hearing impairment. They help their owners by leading them toward noises like alarms, doorbells, or crying babies.
There are still a lot of different types of service dogs; you can search online to see more.
Cost of a Service Dog
Owning a service dog can be a little bit expensive. The cost of a service dog ranges from $15,000 to $50,000. In addition, you need to consider the cost of taking care of your dog, which includes expenses like veterinary checkups, food, toys, vaccinations, and additional training. These extra expenses can add up to an extra cost ranging from $500 to $10,000 annually.
Types of Service Dog Insurance Coverage
It is important to know that your health insurance policy won’t cover any costs related to your service animal. However, you can buy other types of insurance for them, just like you would for any other pet. Service dog policies usually cost the same as regular dog policies. The insurance coverages are as follows:
Pet Insurance
Pet insurance can assist you in paying for medical expenses, including veterinary bills, for your service dog. There are three main types of policies, which are
- Accident only.
- Accident and illness (comprehensive).
- Wellness coverage.
Each policy covers different treatments and services, so ensure you read the policy carefully and understand what is included. Most insurance policies pay a percentage of claims, up to a specified limit, and have a deductible that you need to pay first.
Liability Insurance
Even though service dogs are well-trained, they are not men but still animals. Your homeowners or renter’s insurance policy can cover your liability for dog bites to guests or other people outside your home. It may also cover damages caused by your animal to other people’s property, up to the limits of your policy concerning animals.
Life Insurance
One of the ways you can keep the investment you have made with your service dog is to buy a life insurance policy for them. Pet life insurance can assist in covering the costs of cremation, euthanasia, or burial, and counseling for you after your service dog dies. It can also potentially defray the costs of the replacement of a service dog.
Final Thought
Most home insurance policies cover injuries and damage caused by dogs to others but do not cover costs related to service dogs. It is advisable to inform insurers about service dogs. Owners can train their own service dogs. Insurance companies treat service dogs like regular pets, which may affect premiums. Service dogs differ from therapy dogs, as they are specifically trained to aid individuals with disabilities and are recognized under the ADA for public access. Emotional support animals are not the same as service animals; they provide comfort but are not task-trained.
