The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) protects people with disabilities from discrimination.  See below for info about service animals and emotional support animals. There is no official registry for service animals or emotional support animals, but some businesses, etc may request a letter explaining why an emotional support animal is needed.

California law allows persons with disabilities to bring trained service dogs and psychiatric service dogs, but not emotional support animals, to all public places.

Service Animals are:

• Dogs
• Any breed and any size of dog
• Trained to perform a task directly related to a person’s disability

Service animals are not:

• Required to be certified or go through a professional training program
• Required to wear a vest or other ID that indicates they’re a service dog
• Emotional support or comfort dogs, because providing emotional support or comfort is not a task related to a person’s disability

A public place can ask only two questions to determine if a p… [read more]

FEMA’s Individuals and Households Program (IHP) provides financial and direct services to eligible individuals and households affected by a disaster, who have uninsured or under-insured necessary expenses and serious needs. IHP assistance is not a substitute for insurance and cannot compensate for all losses caused by a disaster. The assistance is intended to meet your basic needs and supplement disaster recovery efforts.

IHP Assistance may include:

• Funds for temporary housing while you are unable to live in your home, such as rental assistance, or reimbursement for hotel costs
• A temporary housing unit, if approved for the disaster, when you are not able to use rental assistance due to a lack of available housing resources
• Funds to support the repair or replacement of owner-occupied homes that serve as the household’s primary residence, including privately-owned access routes, such as driveways, roads, or bridges
• Funds for other uninsured or under-insured disaster-caused expenses …

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CA vs. Hate is a non-emergency hate incident and hate crime reporting program. Victims and witnesses can report via phone, hotline, or web page.

To report a hate incident or hate crime, anonymously if you wish:

• call 833-866-4283 (833-8NO-HATE) - you may speak to a live person Mon-Fri from 8am-5pm Pacific Time
• or report online at https://stophate.calcivilrights.ca.gov/s/. Additional info and links to many resources are also on this page.

Whether or not you report anonymously, your identity will not be disclosed. The only exception to non-disclosure is if a report is made of child abuse, elder abuse, or activities indicating an imminent risk of violence.

The primary goals of this program are to ensure that victims and witnesses have access to needed services and that hate crimes and incidents get reported.

What is the difference between a hate crime and a hate incident?
Sources: https://oag.ca.gov/hatecrimes and https://calcivilrights.ca.gov/ca-vs-hate-faq/

A&nbs… [read more]

USA.gov provides information about the United States government and its programs. Call USA.gov at 844-872-4681 (844-USA-GOV1) to ask any question about the US government for free. They'll get you the answer or tell you where to find it. They are open from 5am to 5pm Pacific Time, Monday through Friday, except federal holidays. Or visit usa.gov

• About the United States - Have a question about the USA? Learn where to find answers to the most requested facts about the United States of America.
• Benefits, Grants, Loans - Learn about government programs that provide financial help for individuals and organizations. Includes info on getting help with paying bills.​
• Consumer Issues - Learn how to be a safe consumer, what to do when a purchase or service goes wrong, and more.
• COVID-19 - Learn about the types of assistance the federal government offers people and businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Disability Services - Find information for people with disabilities.
• Disasters and Emerge…

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The Women Veterans Call Center (WVCC) staff is trained to provide women Veterans, their families, and caregivers about VA services and resources.

If you have questions or can't find what you're looking for, you can call, text, or chat online with the Women Veterans Call Center (WVCC) at 855-829-6636 to get help and find available resources and services in your area. Trained women representatives can also:

• Provide you with information on enrolling in VA health care if you have not already
• Provide you with information on setting up a medical appointment in your area
• Provide you with information about your eligibility (including questions about disability ratings) and other VA benefits like employment, education, and home loans
• Connect you with your local VA Medical Center or local women's health contact who can assist in coordinating all the services you need

Websites:

• Women Veterans Call Center- https://womenshealth.va.gov/
• Chat online - production…

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