Disabled veteran turned away from Georgia clinic because of service animal, feds say
A disabled veteran was denied a scheduled medical appointment at a Georgia clinic because of his service animal, federal officials said.
Now, OptumServe — the agency responsible for the Atlanta-based clinic and a subsidiary of UnitedHealth Group — will pay the veteran $85,000 in compensation, according to a Jan. 15 news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia.
The agency was also ordered to update its service animal policies and provide training, according to the settlement.
“We are committed to providing high-quality healthcare services to all Veterans, including those with disabilities,” an Optum spokesperson told McClatchy News in a Jan. 22 email. “We recognize the critical role that service animals play in the lives of many Veterans and are dedicated to ensuring that our facilities are fully accessible and welcoming to all.”
According to court documents, the veteran — whose name was not revealed — had a medical appointment scheduled by the Veteran’s Association for a disability assessment but was forced to leave before receiving medical care because of his service dog.
The clinic staff did not allow the dog — trained to help the veteran during PTSD-related anxiety attacks — in the waiting room and asked for written documentation proving her licensing, prosecutors said.
As a result, the veteran felt embarrassed and suffered an anxiety attack in the waiting room, prompting the service dog to act in line with her training, prosecutors said.
Still, the veteran was “forced to leave” before seeing the medical provider or receiving any medical care, violating the Americans with Disabilities Act, prosecutors said. The act “prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in the full and equal enjoyment of the goods, services, facilities, and privileges of any place of public accommodation,” according to the release.
“Service animals are not pets and are often prescribed to assist veterans diagnosed with particular service-related disabilities,” U.S. Attorney Ryan Buchanan said in the release. “Our office is committed to ensuring veterans have access to medical care that is free of discrimination or other barriers that impede them from equal access to healthcare services.”
