This is one of the two questions that the ADA explicitly permits providers to ask when verifying whether an animal is a service animal. The handler must be able to describe a specific trained task — for example:

– Seizure alert or response (detecting onset and guiding the person to safety)
– Interrupting self-injurious behavior (e.g., redirecting hand-biting)
– Deep pressure therapy initiated by the handler’s cue to reduce anxiety
– Guiding a person with visual impairment
– Alerting a person with hearing loss to sounds

If the handler cannot identify a specific trained task the dog performs (as opposed to providing general emotional comfort or companionship), the animal may not qualify as a service animal under the ADA. Emotional support animals and comfort animals are not covered by the ADA’s service animal provisions, and providers are not required to grant them the same access as trained service animals.