II 117TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION S. 613 To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to carry out a pilot program on dog training therapy and to amend title 38, United States Code, to authorize the Secretary to provide service dogs to veterans with mental illnesses who do not have mobility impairments. IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES MARCH 5, 2021 Mr. TILLIS (for himself, Ms. SINEMA, Mr. CRAMER, and Mrs. FEINSTEIN) in- troduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Com- mittee on Veterans’ Affairs A BILL To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to carry out a pilot program on dog training therapy and to amend title 38, United States Code, to authorize the Secretary to provide service dogs to veterans with mental illnesses who do not have mobility impairments. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Puppies Assisting 4 Wounded Servicemembers for Veterans Therapy Act’’ or 5 the ‘‘PAWS for Veterans Therapy Act’’. 6 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:43 Apr 04, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S613.IS S613 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 2 •S 613 IS SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 1 Congress makes the following findings: 2 (1) According to the analyses of veteran suicide 3 published by the Department of Veterans Affairs in 4 August 2016 and titled ‘‘Suicide Among Veterans 5 and Other Americans’’ and in June 2018 and titled 6 ‘‘VA National Suicide Date Report’’— 7 (A) an average of 20 veterans died by sui- 8 cide each day in 2014; 9 (B) mental health disorders, including 10 major depression and other mood disorders, 11 have been associated with increased risk for sui- 12 cide; 13 (C) since 2001, the proportion of users of 14 health care from the Veterans Health Adminis- 15 tration with mental health conditions or sub- 16 stance use disorders has increased from ap- 17 proximately 27 percent in 2001 to more than 18 40 percent in 2014; and 19 (D) overall, suicide rates are highest 20 among patients with mental health and sub- 21 stance use disorder diagnoses who are in treat- 22 ment and lower among those who received a 23 mental health diagnosis but were not at risk 24 enough to require enhanced care from a mental 25 health provider. 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:43 Apr 04, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S613.IS S613 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 3 •S 613 IS (2) The Department of Veterans Affairs must 1 be more effective in its approach to reducing the 2 burden of veteran suicide connected to mental health 3 disorders, including post-traumatic stress disorder 4 (in this section referred to as ‘‘PTSD’’), and new, 5 rigorous scientific research provides persuasive 6 weight to the growing anecdotal evidence that serv- 7 ice dogs ameliorate the symptoms associated with 8 PTSD, and in particular, help prevent veteran sui- 9 cide. 10 (3) Several organizations have proven track 11 records of training service dogs for veterans with se- 12 vere PTSD and dramatically improving the quality 13 of life, ability to re-enter society, and, most impor- 14 tantly, the chances of survival of those veterans. 15 SEC. 3. DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS PILOT PRO- 16 GRAM ON DOG TRAINING THERAPY. 17 (a) IN GENERAL.—Commencing not later than 120 18 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Sec- 19 retary of Veterans Affairs shall carry out a pilot program 20 under which the Secretary shall make grants to one or 21 more appropriate non-government entities for the purpose 22 of assessing the effectiveness of addressing post-deploy- 23 ment mental health and the symptoms of post-traumatic 24 stress disorder (in this section referred to as ‘‘PTSD’’) 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:43 Apr 04, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S613.IS S613 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 4 •S 613 IS through a therapeutic medium of training service dogs for 1 veterans with disabilities. 2 (b) DURATION OF PILOT PROGRAM.—The pilot pro- 3 gram required by subsection (a) shall be carried out dur- 4 ing the five-year period beginning on the date of the com- 5 mencement of the pilot program. 6 (c) CONDITIONS ON RECEIPT OF GRANTS.—As a con- 7 dition of receiving a grant under this section, a non-gov- 8 ernment entity shall— 9 (1) submit to the Secretary certification that 10 the entity is an organization described in section 11 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and 12 is exempt from taxation under section 501(a) of 13 such code that— 14 (A) provides service dogs to veterans with 15 PTSD; and 16 (B) is accredited by, or adheres to stand- 17 ards comparable to those of, an accrediting or- 18 ganization with demonstrated experience, na- 19 tional scope, and recognized leadership and ex- 20 pertise in the training of service dogs and edu- 21 cation in the use of service dogs; 22 (2) agree to cover all costs in excess of the 23 grant amount; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:43 Apr 04, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S613.IS S613 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 5 •S 613 IS (3) agree to reaccept or replace the service dog 1 the entity provided to a veteran, if necessary, as de- 2 termined by the entity and the veteran; 3 (4) provide a wellness certification from a li- 4 censed veterinarian for any dog participating in the 5 pilot program under this section; 6 (5) employ at least one person with clinical ex- 7 perience related to mental health; 8 (6) ensure that veterans participating in the 9 pilot program receive training from certified service 10 dog training instructors for a period of time deter- 11 mined appropriate by the entity and the Secretary, 12 including service skills to address or alleviate symp- 13 toms unique to the needs of veterans; 14 (7) agree to provide— 15 (A) lectures on service dog training meth- 16 odologies; and 17 (B) practical hands-on training and groom- 18 ing of service dogs; 19 (8) agree that in hiring service dog training in- 20 structors to carry out training under the pilot pro- 21 gram, the entity will give a preference to veterans 22 who have successfully graduated from PTSD or 23 other residential treatment program and who have 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:43 Apr 04, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S613.IS S613 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 6 •S 613 IS received adequate certification in service dog train- 1 ing; 2 (9) agree not to use shock collars or prong col- 3 lars as training tools and to use positive reinforce- 4 ment training; 5 (10) agree that upon the conclusion of training 6 provided using the grant funds— 7 (A) the veteran who received the training 8 will keep the dog unless the veteran and the 9 health care provider of the veteran decide it is 10 not in the best interest of the veteran; 11 (B) if the veteran does not opt to own the 12 dog, the entity will be responsible for caring for 13 and appropriately placing the dog; 14 (C) the Department of Veterans Affairs 15 will have no additional responsibility to provide 16 for any benefits under this section; and 17 (D) the Department of Veterans Affairs 18 will have no liability with respect to the dog; 19 (11) provide follow-up support service for the 20 life of the dog, including a contact plan between the 21 veteran and the entity to allow the veteran to reach 22 out for and receive adequate help with the service 23 dog and the entity to communicate with the veteran 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:43 Apr 04, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S613.IS S613 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 7 •S 613 IS to ensure the service dog is being properly cared for; 1 and 2 (12) submit to the Secretary an application 3 containing such information, certification, and assur- 4 ances as the Secretary may require. 5 (d) VETERAN ELIGIBILITY.— 6 (1) IN GENERAL.—A veteran is eligible to par- 7 ticipate in the pilot program under this section if the 8 veteran— 9 (A) is enrolled in the patient enrollment 10 system of the Department of Veterans Affairs 11 under section 1705 of title 38, United States 12 Code; 13 (B) has been recommended to participate 14 in the pilot program by a qualified health care 15 provider or clinical team based on the medical 16 judgment that the veteran may potentially ben- 17 efit from participating; and 18 (C) agrees to successfully complete train- 19 ing provided by a non-government entity in re- 20 ceipt of a grant under this section. 21 (2) RELATIONSHIP TO PARTICIPATION IN 22 OTHER PROGRAM.—Veterans may participate in the 23 pilot program under this section in conjunction with 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:43 Apr 04, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S613.IS S613 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 8 •S 613 IS the compensated work therapy program of the De- 1 partment of Veterans Affairs. 2 (3) CONTINUING ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENT.— 3 To remain eligible to participate in the pilot pro- 4 gram under this section, a veteran shall see the 5 health care provider or clinical team of the Depart- 6 ment of Veterans Affairs treating the veteran for 7 PTSD not less frequently than once every six 8 months to determine, based on a clinical evaluation 9 of efficacy, whether the veteran continues to benefit 10 from the pilot program. 11 (e) COLLECTION OF DATA.— 12 (1) IN GENERAL.—In carrying out the pilot 13 program under this section, the Secretary shall— 14 (A) develop metrics and other appropriate 15 means to measure, with respect to veterans par- 16 ticipation in the pilot program, the improve- 17 ment in psychosocial function and therapeutic 18 compliance of such veterans and changes with 19 respect to the dependence of such veterans on 20 prescription narcotics and psychotropic medica- 21 tion; and 22 (B) establish processes to document and 23 track the progress of such veterans under the 24 pilot program in terms of the benefits and im- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:43 Apr 04, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S613.IS S613 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 9 •S 613 IS provements noted as a result of the pilot pro- 1 gram. 2 (2) CONTINUED COLLECTION.—The Secretary 3 shall continue to collect data under paragraph (1) 4 for each veteran who has continued with the dog he 5 or she has personally trained under the pilot pro- 6 gram under this section for a five-year period fol- 7 lowing the date on which the veteran decides to keep 8 the dog. 9 (f) GAO BRIEFING AND REPORT.— 10 (1) BRIEFING.—Not later than one year after 11 the date of the commencement of the pilot program 12 under this section, the Comptroller General of the 13 United States shall brief the Committee on Vet- 14 erans’ Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on 15 Veterans’ Affairs of the House of Representatives on 16 the methodology established for the pilot program. 17 (2) REPORT.— 18 (A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 270 19 days after the date on which the pilot program 20 under this section terminates, the Comptroller 21 General shall submit to the Committee on Vet- 22 erans’ Affairs of the Senate and the Committee 23 on Veterans’ Affairs of the House of Represent- 24 atives a report on the pilot program. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:43 Apr 04, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S613.IS S613 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 10 •S 613 IS (B) ELEMENTS.—The report required by 1 subparagraph (A) shall include an evaluation of 2 the approach and methodology used for the 3 pilot program under this section with respect 4 to— 5 (i) helping veterans with severe PTSD 6 return to civilian life; 7 (ii) relevant metrics, including reduc- 8 tion in scores under the PTSD checklist 9 (PCL–5), improvement in psychosocial 10 function, and therapeutic compliance; and 11 (iii) reducing the dependence of par- 12 ticipants in the pilot program on prescrip- 13 tion narcotics and psychotropic medication. 14 (g) SERVICE DOG TRAINING INSTRUCTOR DE- 15 FINED.—In this section, the term ‘‘service dog training 16 instructor’’ means an instructor who provides the direct 17 training of veterans with PTSD and other post-deploy- 18 ment issues in the art and science of service dog training 19 and handling. 20 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:43 Apr 04, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S613.IS S613 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 11 •S 613 IS SEC. 4. AUTHORITY OF SECRETARY OF VETERANS AFFAIRS 1 TO PROVIDE SERVICE DOGS TO VETERANS 2 WITH MENTAL ILLNESSES WHO DO NOT HAVE 3 MOBILITY IMPAIRMENTS. 4 Section 1714 of title 38, United States Code, is 5 amended by adding at the end the following new sub- 6 section: 7 ‘‘(e) The Secretary may provide a service dog to a 8 veteran under subsection (c)(3) regardless of whether the 9 veteran has a mobility impairment.’’. 10 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:43 Apr 04, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\S613.IS S613 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS