U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer (R-NE) proposed a bipartisan bill that would provide service dogs to America’s military veterans suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and authorize a total of $10 million to carry out the program from fiscal years 2022 through 2024.
“We are deeply indebted to the veterans who fought for our freedoms,” Sen. Fischer said. “For veterans suffering from the invisible wounds of war, service dogs have been shown to provide comfort, hope and companionship.”
Sen. Fischer on March 24 sponsored the Puppies Assisting Wounded Servicemembers (PAWS) Act of 2021, S. 951, with eight original cosponsors, including U.S. Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ), to establish a three-year program in which the U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) would provide grants of up to $25,000 per veteran to eligible organizations to pair veterans suffering from severe PTSD with service dogs.
“The PAWS Act would pair more of these men and women with service dogs as they reintegrate into civilian life,” said Sen. Fischer, who introduced similar legislation during the previous congressional session that expired before the 117th Congress.
Currently, the VA covers the costs associated with providing service dogs to veterans with physical disabilities, but it does not cover such costs for service dogs that could help veterans with PTSD, according to the senator’s office.
The grants authorized under S. 951 also would cover a veterinary health insurance policy for the life of the dog, service dog hardware, and payment for travel expenses for the veteran to obtain the dog, according to a one-page bill summary provided by Sen. Fischer’s office.
To be eligible for a VA grant for a service dog pairing, an organization must be a nonprofit that is accredited by Assistance Dogs International (ADI), the International Guide Dog Federation (IGDF), or meets the publicly available standards of the Association of Service Dog Providers for Military Veterans, according to the summary, which notes that the VA Secretary also could authorize an organization to participate in the program if it has accreditation standards that meet or exceed ADI’s or IGDF’s.
For a veteran to participate in the program, he or she must have completed an evidence-based treatment for PTSD, yet remain symptomatic according to a specific checklist, and receive a determination from a VA healthcare provider/clinical team that he or she would benefit from a service dog, the summary says.
Veterans also must see a healthcare provider at least twice a year to remain eligible for the program and the VA would be required to develop metrics to measure a participating veteran’s improvement in the program, among other provisions.
The legislation has been referred to the U.S. Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee for consideration.