PAWS for Veterans Therapy Act

IIB 116TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION H. R. 4305 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES FEBRUARY 10, 2020 Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs AN ACT To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to carry out a pilot program on dog training therapy. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:24 Feb 10, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4305.RFS H4305 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 2 HR 4305 RFS SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 1 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Puppies Assisting 2 Wounded Servicemembers for Veterans Therapy Act’’ or 3 the ‘‘PAWS for Veterans Therapy Act’’. 4 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 5 Congress makes the following findings: 6 (1) According to the analyses of veteran suicide 7 published by the Department of Veterans Affairs in 8 August 2016 and titled ‘‘Suicide Among Veterans 9 and Other Americans’’, and in June 2018, titled 10 ‘‘VA National Suicide Date Report’’— 11 (A) an average of 20 veterans died by sui- 12 cide each day in 2014; 13 (B) mental health disorders, including 14 major depression and other mood disorders, 15 have been associated with increased risk for sui- 16 cide; 17 (C) since 2001, the proportion of users of 18 the Veterans Health Administration with men- 19 tal health conditions or substance use disorders 20 has increased from approximately 27 percent in 21 2001 to more than 40 percent in 2014; and 22 (D) overall, suicide rates are highest 23 among patients with mental health and sub- 24 stance use disorder diagnoses who are in treat- 25 ment and lower among those who received a 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:24 Feb 10, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4305.RFS H4305 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 3 HR 4305 RFS mental health diagnosis but were not at risk 1 enough to require enhanced care from a mental 2 health provider. 3 (2) The Department of Veterans Affairs must 4 be more effective in its approach to reducing the 5 burden of veteran suicide connected to mental health 6 disorders, including post-traumatic stress disorder 7 (in this section referred to as ‘‘PTSD’’), and new, 8 rigorous scientific research provides persuasive 9 weight to the growing anecdotal evidence that serv- 10 ice dogs ameliorate the symptoms associated with 11 PTSD, and in particular, help prevent veteran sui- 12 cide. 13 (3) Several organizations have proven track 14 records of training service dogs for veterans with se- 15 vere PTSD and dramatically improving those vet- 16 erans’ quality of life, ability to re-enter society, and, 17 most importantly, their chances of survival. 18 SEC. 3. DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS PILOT PRO- 19 GRAM ON DOG TRAINING THERAPY. 20 (a) IN GENERAL.—Commencing not later than 120 21 days after the date of the enactment of the Act, subject 22 to the availability of appropriations, the Secretary of Vet- 23 erans Affairs shall carry out a pilot program under which 24 the Secretary shall make grants to one or more appro- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:24 Feb 10, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4305.RFS H4305 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 4 HR 4305 RFS priate non-government entities for the purpose of assess- 1 ing the effectiveness of addressing post-deployment mental 2 health and post-traumatic stress disorder (in this section 3 referred to as ‘‘PTSD’’) symptoms through a therapeutic 4 medium of training service dogs for veterans with disabil- 5 ities. 6 (b) DURATION OF PILOT PROGRAM.—The pilot pro- 7 gram required by subsection (a) shall be carried out dur- 8 ing the 5-year period beginning on the date of the com- 9 mencement of the pilot program. 10 (c) CONDITIONS ON RECEIPT OF GRANTS.—As a con- 11 dition of receiving a grant under this section, a non-gov- 12 ernment entity shall— 13 (1) submit to the Secretary certification that 14 the entity is an organization described in section 15 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 16 that— 17 (A) provides service dogs to veterans with 18 PTSD; and 19 (B) is accredited by, or adheres to stand- 20 ards comparable to those of, an accrediting or- 21 ganization with demonstrated experience, na- 22 tional scope, and recognized leadership and ex- 23 pertise in the training of service dogs and edu- 24 cation in the use of service dogs; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:24 Feb 10, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4305.RFS H4305 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 5 HR 4305 RFS (2) agree to cover all costs in excess of the 1 grant amount; 2 (3) agree to reaccept or replace the service dog 3 the organization provided to the veteran, if nec- 4 essary, as determined by the organization and the 5 veteran; 6 (4) provide a wellness certification from a li- 7 censed veterinarian for any dog participating in the 8 program; 9 (5) employ at least one person with clinical ex- 10 perience related to mental health; 11 (6) ensure that veterans participating in the 12 pilot program receive training from certified service 13 dog training instructors for a period of time deter- 14 mined appropriate by the organization and the Sec- 15 retary, including service skills to address or alleviate 16 symptoms unique to veterans’ needs; 17 (7) agree to provide both lectures on service dog 18 training methodologies and practical hands-on train- 19 ing and grooming of service dogs; 20 (8) agree that in hiring service dog training in- 21 structors to carry out training under the pilot pro- 22 gram, the non-government entity will give a pref- 23 erence to veterans who have successfully graduated 24 from PTSD or other residential treatment program 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:24 Feb 10, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4305.RFS H4305 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 6 HR 4305 RFS and who have received adequate certification in serv- 1 ice dog training; 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 veteran’s health provider decide it is not in the 10 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 organization to communicate with the 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:24 Feb 10, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4305.RFS H4305 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 7 HR 4305 RFS veteran to ensure the service dog is being properly 1 cared for; 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.—For the purposes of this sec- 7 tion, an eligible veteran is a veteran who— 8 (A) is enrolled in the patient enrollment 9 system in the Department of Veterans Affairs 10 under section 1705 of title 38, United States 11 Code; 12 (B) has been recommended for the pilot 13 program under this section by a qualified health 14 care provider or clinical team based on the med- 15 ical judgment that the veteran may potentially 16 benefit from participating; and 17 (C) agrees to successfully complete train- 18 ing provided by an eligible organization that re- 19 ceives a grant under this section. 20 (2) RELATIONSHIP TO PARTICIPATION IN 21 OTHER PROGRAM.—Veterans may participate in the 22 pilot program in conjunction with the compensated 23 work therapy program of the Department of Vet- 24 erans Affairs. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:24 Feb 10, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4305.RFS H4305 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 8 HR 4305 RFS (3) CONTINUING ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENT.— 1 To remain eligible to participate in the program, a 2 veteran shall see the health care provider or clinical 3 team of the Department of Veterans Affairs treating 4 the veteran for PTSD at least once every 6 months 5 to determine, based on a clinical evaluation of effi- 6 cacy, whether the veteran continues to benefit from 7 the program. 8 (e) COLLECTION OF DATA.—In carrying out this sec- 9 tion, the Secretary shall— 10 (1) develop metrics and other appropriate 11 means to measure, with respect to veterans partici- 12 pation in the program, the improvement in psycho- 13 social function and therapeutic compliance of such 14 veterans and changes with respect to the dependence 15 on prescription narcotics and psychotropic medica- 16 tion of such veterans; 17 (2) establish processes to document and track 18 the progress of such veterans under the program in 19 terms of the benefits and improvements noted as a 20 result of the program; and 21 (3) in addition, the Secretary shall continue to 22 collect these data over the course of 5 years for each 23 veteran who has continued with the dog he or she 24 has personally trained. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:24 Feb 10, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4305.RFS H4305 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 9 HR 4305 RFS (f) GAO BRIEFING AND STUDY.— 1 (1) BRIEFING.—Not later than 1 year after the 2 date of the commencement of the pilot program 3 under subsection (a), the Comptroller General of the 4 United States shall provide to the Committees on 5 Veterans’ Affairs of the House of Representatives 6 and the Senate a briefing on the methodology estab- 7 lished for the program. 8 (2) REPORT.—Not later than 270 days after 9 the date on which the program terminates, the 10 Comptroller General shall submit to the committees 11 specified in paragraph (1) a report on the program. 12 Such report shall include an evaluation of the ap- 13 proach and methodology used for the program with 14 respect to— 15 (A) helping veterans with severe PTSD re- 16 turn to civilian life; 17 (B) relevant metrics, including reduction in 18 metrics such as reduction in scores under the 19 PTSD check-list (PCL–5), improvement in psy- 20 chosocial function, and therapeutic compliance; 21 and 22 (C) reducing the dependence of partici- 23 pants on prescription narcotics and psycho- 24 tropic medication. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:24 Feb 10, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4305.RFS H4305 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 10 HR 4305 RFS (g) DEFINITION.—For the purposes of this section, 1 the term ‘‘service dog training instructor’’ means an in- 2 structor who provides the direct training of veterans with 3 PTSD and other post-deployment issues in the art and 4 science of service dog training and handling. 5 Passed the House of Representatives February 5, 2020. Attest: CHERYL L. JOHNSON, Clerk. VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:24 Feb 10, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4305.RFS H4305 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS