Andrew Patel, M.D.

Dr. Patel's role

Dr. Patel reviews evaluations and signs emotional support animal (ESA) and psychiatric service dog (PSD) letters when the clinical findings support one. Through usaPsdletter.com, the letter offered is a PSD letter for people whose dogs are trained to perform tasks related to a psychiatric disability.

Signing a letter is a clinical judgment, not a formality. If the findings from your evaluation do not support a letter, Dr. Patel will not sign one, and you will not be charged.

What is an M.D.

M.D. stands for Doctor of Medicine. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, physicians typically complete a bachelor's degree, about four years of medical school, and then a residency that usually lasts three to nine years depending on the specialty. Every state requires physicians to be licensed, which generally means graduating from an accredited medical school, completing residency training and passing national exams.

Physicians diagnose and treat illnesses, take medical histories, examine patients, order tests and prescribe medication. The National Alliance on Mental Illness notes that M.D. and D.O. physicians, including primary care physicians and psychiatrists, can play a role in mental health care alongside other licensed professionals.

Letter signing and verification

Each letter Dr. Patel signs is issued as a PDF and includes the details someone needs to confirm it came from a licensed physician. Because state medical boards license physicians, the license number and issuing state lead to a record that a housing provider can check.

If a housing provider has a question about whether a letter is genuine, they can verify the license with the issuing state's medical board. You can also contact us at support@usapsdletter.com.

• Clinician's name: Andrew Patel
• License type: M.D.
• License number
• Issuing state
• Date signed

What the evaluation covers

Your evaluation is a short, 5–10 minute phone or video conversation with a licensed clinician. It focuses on what a letter needs to document: whether you have a psychiatric condition that substantially limits daily life, and how your dog's trained tasks relate to that condition.

This is not a substitute for ongoing mental health care. If your dog comforts you but is not trained to do specific tasks, the accurate document is an ESA letter rather than a PSD letter, and the clinician will tell you so.

What a signed letter means

A letter signed by Dr. Patel documents a clinician's findings about your disability and your disability-related need for your dog. The HUD and DOJ joint statement on reasonable accommodations lets housing providers ask for this kind of reliable documentation when a disability or need is not obvious, and they assess each request individually.

A letter does not certify your dog or place it on any registry, because there is no official federal registry or certificate for service dogs. It also does not give your dog access to stores or restaurants. Under the ADA, public places cannot ask for documentation at all; staff may ask only whether the dog is required because of a disability and what task it has been trained to perform.

Clinical content review

Dr. Patel is the clinical reviewer of the health and legal-information pages on this website. Content is drafted from primary sources such as ADA.gov, HUD, the U.S. Department of Transportation, NIMH and MedlinePlus, then reviewed for clinical accuracy. Our editorial policy explains the process in detail.

Clinical review does not make our pages legal advice. For questions about your specific situation, a lawyer or your state's civil rights agency can help.