BELMONT COUNTY, Ohio – A simple errand to pick up a license for a disabled veteran’s service dog at the Belmont County, Ohio Auditor’s Office in St. Clairsville turned into a denial that uncovered an issue that many disabled people face.
Can Ohio government officials deny a disabled person a free dog license if they don’t have “the right type of disability?” Also, why is Belmont County paying a private firm $9,000 per year to administer its dog license program?
Back in March, I, Karen Fatula, News Director for River News Network, stumbled onto a story that may bring an issue to light that affects many Belmont County residents and perhaps others throughout Ohio.
I went to the Belmont County Auditor’s Office and asked to purchase a license for my friend’s service dog. The male worker in the office told me that service dogs qualify for free licenses and asked for verification that the dog was indeed a service dog. My friend texted me a letter from the Veterans Administration (VA) which stated the dog was needed for my friend’s mental health disability. The worker checked his computer to look up Ohio rules then told me that he could not issue the free dog license since my veteran friend did not have “the right type of disability.”
My friend is a Vietnam veteran and suffers from a combat-related mental health disability.
But this veteran is not the only one being denied a free dog license. A second worker with the Belmont County Auditor’s Office said they see at least one person per week who asks for, yet is denied, the free dog license since they, too, have the “wrong type of disability” to qualify. According to these two Belmont County Auditor’s Office workers, mental health disabilities do not qualify a person for a free license for their dog, only physical issues do. They provided a copy of the Ohio Revised Code. A third Auditor’s Office official referred me to the Belmont County Sheriff’s Office for clarification.
To find out how much revenue Belmont County generates from dog licenses and to hear an official response to the veteran being denied a free license for his service dog, I contacted the President of the Belmont County Board of Commissioners J.P. Dutton twice, but he did not reply.
Liz Lane from Disability Rights Ohio provided this explanation of what qualifies as a service dog under Ohio law, stating “An ‘assistance dog’ is narrowly defined under Ohio Revised Code § 955.011 as a guide dog that has been trained or is training to assist a person who is blind; a hearing dog that has been trained or is training to assist a person who is deaf or hearing impaired; or a service dog that has been trained or is in training to assist a person who is mobility-impaired. The dog must also have been trained by a nonprofit special agency.”
Lane also said that the Americans with Disability resource FAQ (which is produced by the U.S. DOJ) says that service animals are subject to local dog licensing and registration requirements. The Belmont County Auditor’s Office workers said service dog licenses are free, but it does not appear that they are free for psychiatric service dogs.
Disability Rights Ohio asked me to provide their contact information to my veteran friend to investigate possible discrimination by Belmont County officials if my friend believed he suffered discrimination.
I also contacted Julie Gomez, Executive Director of NAMI of Greater Wheeling who was concerned about how county officials handled the situation and wants people with mental health issues to be treated equitably concerning their service animals.
“I will be honest: the phrase “right type of disability” is an absolutely awful thing to say to someone.”
Julie Gomez, Executive Director of NAMI of Greater Wheeling
Gomez referred me back to Disability Rights Ohio to explore any differences between the Ohio Revised Code’s laws and the Ohio’s Administrative Code laws concerning to psychiatric service animals. I am awaiting further clarification from their legal team.
Ultimately, I paid the $14 license fee along with a late fee and told the first worker that the license fee was not expensive. The worker replied that $14 per year adds up as revenue for the county for each year of the dog’s life.
While Belmont County does not offer a free license program for psychiatric service dogs or any programs for veterans’ dogs, on April 2, the Belmont County Commissioners approved a three-year pet licensing management program with the DocuPet Corporation for a monthly fee of $750 per month ($9,000 per year and $27,000 over three years) on behalf of the Auditor’s Office.
Should psychiatric service dogs and other service dogs used to detect seizures and diabetes issues qualify for free dog licenses? River News Network reached out to elected officials, but we either received conflicting information or no reply at all.
Follow River News Network for updates on this developing story.
