Service Animal Standard Operating Procedure
Service Animal Standard Operating Procedure
Who is entitled to use a service animal under ADA?
The ADA authorizes the use of service animals for the benefit of individuals with disabilities. While the ADA does not limit the type of disability one must have in order to use a service animal, there must be a direct link between the task an animal performs and the person with a disability. The ADA defines disability to include a “physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities of such individual.” (42 U.S.C. 12102(1)(A)).
Rules of Behavior
- Be on a leash at the handler’s side where the leash is to be no greater than three feet (please see above for exceptions).
- Stay off the furniture.
- Not toilet or “marking” in the medical facilities.
- No growling, biting, snapping or barking.
- Be clean and flea, tick, and worm free.
- There is a designated Service Pet Relief area outside in the Front of the Medical Center
Are service animals allowed anywhere in the Medical Center?
Service Chiefs and Supervisors reserve the right to identify additional areas in their departments that are off limits to service animals to ensure that patient care, patient safety, and infection prevention and control standards are met. These are the restricted areas defined by South Texas:
- Operating Rooms, surgical suites, dental suites, and any room where procedures are done to include dermatology, endoscopy/bronchoscopy, chemotherapy clinic, infusion clinic, dialysis clinic, Interventional Radiology, Radiology/Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Nuclear medicine, Radiation therapy, interventional pain clinic.
- Negative Pressure/Isolation Rooms.
- Radiology exam areas.
- Acute inpatient hospital settings when the presence of the service animal is not needed as part of the treatment plan.
- Decontamination, sterile processing, and sterile storage areas.
- Any sterile supply areas.
- Any Linen storage areas.
- Areas where personal protective clothing must be worn or barrier protective. NOTE: This does not refer to areas such as a standard exam room. Rather, this refers to areas where personal protective clothing or barrier protection measures must be used to avoid exposure to chemical, blood, or infectious agents such as dialysis or chemotherapy areas, infusion rooms, or isolation rooms.
- Areas where soiled and/or contaminated material are stored, including medical laboratories.
- Food preparation areas.
Who is responsible for the supervision and control of the service animal?
The handler. A service animal must be under the control of its “handler” and have a harness, leash, or other tether (no greater than three feet), unless the handler is unable to use one because of a disability or such use would interfere with the animal’s safe, effective performance of work or tasks, in which case the service animal must be otherwise under the handler’s control by way of voice control, signals, or other effective means (28 C.F.R. §36.302(4); 28 C.F.R.).
The handler must be prepared to
• Bring someone who can hold your dog if you need to be separated.
• Reschedule your appointment if your dog is being disruptive and you are asked to leave.
• Request others to refrain from petting your dog. If you do allow petting, ask that hands be washed before and after contact.
• Consider leaving your pet at home.
Facility Points of Contact
VA Police
210-617-5168
Organizational Experience Service
210-617-5300, ext. 116862