Bills
| 3.23.22

Should a VA Grant Program Connect Vets Suffering From PTSD With Service Dogs? (S. 1014)

Do you support or oppose this bill?

What is S. 1014?

(Updated March 5, 2020)

This bill — known as the Puppies Assisting Wounded Veterans (or PAWS) Act — would require the Dept. of Veterans Affairs (VA) to create a five-year pilot program to provide service dogs to veterans diagnosed with and suffering from post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The program would function by connecting eligible veterans with nonprofit organizations that are certified in training service dogs meet certain standards, and providing the nonprofit with a grant of $25,000 for each eligible veteran it trains a service dog to pair with.

The VA would have to review and approve qualifying veterans’ applications within 90 days, and veterans paired with service dogs would have to see a VA healthcare provider or clinical team at least once every 180 days to verify that they’d continue to benefit from a service dog.

Among the qualifications the service dog trainer would need to fulfill include:

  • Certification by Assistance Dogs International;

  • Provide, on average, 30 hours or more of one-on-one training for each service dog and recipient over the course of 90 or more days;

  • Obtain a wellness checkup from a licensed veterinarian for each dog;

  • Ensure all service dogs pass the American Kennel Club Community Canine test and the Assistance Dogs International Public Access test before they’re permanently placed;

  • Provide follow-up services for the life of the service dog that includes a contact plan that allows the veteran and organization

Funding for the program would total $10 million and would be funded through money appropriated to the human resources and administration of the VA.

Argument in favor

Service dogs can be an immense benefit to the person they’re paired with, and that’s especially true of veterans with PTSD, and the VA should offer grants to help.

Argument opposed

The VA shouldn’t use its resources to provide veterans suffering from PTSD with access to service dogs.

Impact

Veterans suffering from PTSD and their would-be service dogs; service dog trainers; and the VA.

Cost of S. 1014

A CBO cost estimate is unavailable.

Additional Info

In-Depth: Sponsoring Sen. Deb Fischer (R-NE) introduced this bill to help improve the quality of life for veterans suffering from PTSD by providing them with access to service dogs:

“Veterans with PTSD may have left the battlefield, but they are still in a tough fight. Service dogs can provide support, peace, and joy to these Americans as they confront the invisible scars of war. Through the PAWS Act, we can bring our veterans relief by offering them hope.”

Lead cosponsor, Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ), concurred and added:

“We owe a deep debt to veterans who have so bravely defended our liberties. Service dogs can be an effective approach to supporting veterans who are struggling with PTSD or other combat-related illnesses, just as they have shown to be effective for physically disabled veterans.”

 

Media:

Summary by Eric Revell

(Photo Credit: Sr. Airman Christina Brownlow - USAF / Creative Commons)