Bill Would Require the VA to Enact a Five-Year Pilot Program to Provide

Service Dog Training to Eligible Veterans Diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress

PONTE VEDRA, Fla. (Aug. 6, 2021) – Earlier today the U.S. Senate unanimously passed the Puppies Assisting Wounded Servicemembers for Veterans Therapy Act (H.R. 1448). As the nation’s largest provider of trained Service Dogs to military veterans, K9s For Warriors acknowledged the bill’s passing as an encouraging first step in combatting veteran suicide.

The bill – if signed into law by the President – would require the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to enact a five-year pilot program to provide dog training to eligible veterans diagnosed with PTSD. The bill additionally would:

• Designate eligible veterans to receive dog training instruction from nongovernmental accredited 501(c)(3) nonprofit Service Dog training organizations (i.e., K9s For Warriors)
• Allow eligible veterans to learn positive reinforcement training in skills that are unique to their own needs to help address or alleviate their PTSD symptoms
• Provide veterans participating in the program with the opportunity to adopt a dog that they actively assisted in their training, provided that the veteran and their health provider determine it to be in the best interest of the veteran.

“We’re encouraged by the passage of this bill by both houses of Congress as an integral first step in the fight against veteran suicide,” said Rory Diamond, CEO of K9s For Warriors. “This pilot program will help prove, again, the lifechanging impact a Service Dog can make in mitigating a veteran’s symptoms associated with post-traumatic stress. We are on the path to Service Dogs being a covered benefit for veterans with PTSD.”

“The last 24 hours and the passing of the PAWS Act by the US Senate represent many years of effort and sacrifice by our disabled military veterans in their fight for recognition of service dogs as a treatment option,” said Jeremiah Blocker, Executive Director of the Association of Service Dog Providers for Military Veterans. “We are grateful to leaders in Congress who supported our veterans by passing this important legislation. Veterans’ lives will be saved, quality of life will improve, and positive outcomes will result from the passage of the PAWS Act.”

“With nearly 20 veterans taking their own lives each day, we must do more to help those with PTSD and other service-connected forms of trauma,” said Rep. John Rutherford (R-FL-4). “I am pleased to see the Senate join the House in passing the PAWS for Veterans Therapy Act, getting us another step closer to making service dogs more available to our veterans. It is our duty to help our warfighters lead productive and successful lives once they return to civilian life. I won’t stop pushing for our bill in Congress until it becomes law.”

A 2021 VA study found that veterans with post-traumatic stress who were paired with Service Dogs showed less suicidal ideation and more symptom improvement compared to veterans paired with an emotional support dog. Given that roughly 20 veterans die by suicide each day, the finding underscores the notion that properly trained Service Dogs can be instrumental in battling this public health crisis.

The VA does not currently fund Service Dog programs, which makes the passage of this bill a critical step forward in connecting veterans with nonprofit organizations equipped to train Service Dogs in performing specific tasks that mitigate symptoms of military-related trauma. Additionally, the bill would support organizations (such as K9s For Warriors) that primarily receive their Service Dogs from high-kill shelters, a distinction that effectively saves two lives with every pairing between veteran and Service Dog.