Arizona Irs Income Tax
Legal Service Dog Question?
I am aware that you can claim your Service Dog on your Taxes however I am on SSI and SSDI and only make 647 per month so I do not file taxes according to the IRS. However I been told because Amber is my dependent I should be able to get help with food for her because of my income level and because she is a need to help me live independently. How do I get this help. I do collect Food Stamps from what I understand because she is a dependent I would get a small amount of cash assistance from Arizona Department Economic Security but they say NO is this true? Because US department of Justice and ADA says I am suppose to get help due to my income but from whom?
The ADA does not guarantee you help for anything, just an equal opportunity to access goods and services, the same as any non-disabled person. The ADA requires businesses and states to present their goods and services in a manner which gives you equal access. This usually means removing architectural barriers so that you can actually enter the building where the goods and services are located. Where service dogs are concerned, it means allowing a qualified person with a disability to enter a place accompanied by their trained service dog even when pets are not generally permitted. That’s it. That’s all the ADA has to do with service animals.
You can’t claim a dog, even a service dog, as a dependent. The tax deduction is for unreimbursed medical expenses, not dependents. Under the law, service animals are considered durable medical equipment or property. There is no federal program for funding her food or veterinary costs.
SOME, but not all, states have programs which give people with disabilities partnered with service dogs trained by a recognized program a small stipend to defray some of the costs of maintaining a service dog.
Your Center for Independent Living may be able to help you find out if such exists in your state. Otherwise, I suggest you contact your state representative and ask them whether your state has such a program. They aren’t likely to know the answer, but they are very likely to know where to direct your question. Having them inquire on your behalf will mean you get a speedier response than if you tried to follow the trail of red-tape yourself to find the government official who actually knows.
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