When her bipartisan bill, the Puppies Assisting Wounded Servicemembers (PAWS) Act of 2021, is enacted, U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer (R-NE) urged U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs Denis McDonough to swiftly implement it.
S. 951, which Sen. Fischer introduced on March 24 with lead original cosponsor U.S. Rep. Cory Booker (D-NJ), would require the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to implement a grant program for pairing service dogs with eligible United States military veterans, according to the congressional record bill summary.
Organizations that receive grants under S. 951 would provide veterinary health insurance coverage, hardware and travel expenses for each service dog and veteran participating in the program, the summary says.
“We believe that the PAWS Act would be in line with your pledge to make sure that the VA is not limited by outdated tools and practices and promise to fight like hell for our veterans,” wrote Sens. Fischer and Booker in a June 17 letter sent to Secretary McDonough. “We hope that we can work together to ensure that the PAWS Act is enacted and successfully implemented to do just that.”
The letter also outlines recent studies which have shown that service dogs benefit veterans suffering from PTSD.
“It is clear that veterans suffering from mental health disorders are at an increased risk for suicide,” the senators wrote. “The Department of Veteran Affairs and Congress have worked hard to meet this challenge. However, an average rate of 17.6 veteran suicides per day tragically demonstrates that too many of our nation’s heroes are being lost and that new and innovative approaches to address this issue are needed.”
The PAWS Act currently has 12 other cosponsors, including U.S. Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT), and remains under consideration in the U.S. Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee.