[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4764 Introduced in House (IH)]
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114th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 4764
To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to carry out a pilot
program to provide service dogs to certain veterans with severe post-
traumatic stress disorder.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
March 16, 2016
Mr. DeSantis (for himself, Mr. Rooney of Florida, Mr. Rothfus, Ms.
Stefanik, Mr. Nugent, Mr. Weber of Texas, Mrs. Ellmers of North
Carolina, Mr. Meadows, Mr. Byrne, Mr. Bishop of Michigan, Mr. Flores,
Ms. McSally, Mr. Jolly, Mr. Johnson of Georgia, Mr. Salmon, Ms.
Gabbard, and Ms. Sinema) introduced the following bill; which was
referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to carry out a pilot
program to provide service dogs to certain veterans with severe post-
traumatic stress disorder.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Puppies Assisting Wounded
Servicemembers (PAWS) Act of 2016''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress makes the following findings:
(1) An estimated 14 percent of members of the Armed Forces
returning from active duty service in support of Operation
Iraqi Freedom or Operation Enduring Freedom suffer from post-
traumatic stress disorder.
(2) The resulting hyperstimulation of the fight-flight-
freeze response associated with post-traumatic stress disorder
poses a threat to the successful societal reintegration of such
members of the Armed Forces.
(3) Animals such as dogs can buffer this stress response
when humans fail to provide social support.
(4) Interaction with dogs has been shown to modulate
symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, such as anxiety,
including fear response and hyperarousal, interpersonal
difficulties, social isolation, physical pain, and sleep
disturbances.
SEC. 3. PILOT PROGRAM ON DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS PROVISION OF
SERVICE DOGS TO CERTAIN VETERANS WITH SEVERE POST-
TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER.
(a) In General.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs, acting through
the Office of Patient Centered Care and Cultural Transformation, shall
carry out a pilot program under which the Secretary shall provide to
eligible veterans with service dogs. The provision of a service dog
under the pilot program shall be done in addition to other types of
treatment provided for post-traumatic stress disorder and shall not
replace established treatment modalities. The Secretary of Veterans
Affairs shall furnish veterinary health insurance for each dog provided
under the pilot program.
(b) Eligibility.--
(1) Initial eligibility.--To be eligible for a service dog
under the pilot program a veteran shall--
(A) be diagnosed with post-traumatic stress
disorder rated at a severity level of three or four on
the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale for DSM-5 (CAPS-
5);
(B) have been treated and have completed an
established evidence-based treatment and remain
significantly symptomatic, as evidenced by the Global
Assessment of Functioning or a similar clinical metric;
(C) have served on active duty in the Armed Forces
on or after September 11, 2001; and
(D) have not experienced satisfactory improvement
in post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms after being
treated with established evidence-based therapies.
(2) Ongoing eligibility.--To remain eligible to receive
canine health insurance furnished by the Department of Veterans
Affairs, a veteran shall see a physician who is a primary care
provider or mental health care provider at a Department of
Veterans Affairs medical facility at least quarterly.
(c) Contract Authority.--
(1) In general.--In carrying out the pilot program under
this section, the Secretary shall enter into such contracts as
may be necessary for the procurement and training of service
dogs with appropriate providers that are certified by
Assistance Dogs International or a similar organization that--
(A) on average, provides one-on-one training for
each service canine for a minimum of 30 hours over at
least 90 days including a wellness verification from a
licensed veterinarian;
(B) provides an in-house residential facility in
which service dog recipients stay for a minimum of ten
days while receiving at least 30 hours of training with
their new service canine;
(C) ensures all service canines pass the American
Kennel Club Canine Good Citizen test prior to permanent
placement with a recipient; and
(D) provides follow-up support service for the life
of the service canine.
(2) Limitation.--The Secretary may not obligate or expend
more than $27,000 for the procurement and training of any dog
under a contract entered into under this subsection.
(d) GAO Study.--Not later than 180 days after the termination of
the pilot program under this section, the Comptroller General of the
United States shall submit to Congress a report on the pilot program.
Such report shall include--
(1) an evaluation of the effectiveness of the pilot program
with respect to--
(A) helping veterans with severe post-traumatic
stress disorder live normally;
(B) relevant metrics, including reduction in
metrics such as reduction in scores under the post-
traumatic stress disorder checklist (PCL), improvement
in psychosocial function, and therapeutic compliance;
(C) lessening the symptoms of post-traumatic stress
disorder; and
(D) reducing the dependence of participants on
prescription narcotics and psychotropic medication; and
(2) the recommendations of the Comptroller General with
respect to the continuation or expansion of the program.
(e) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be
appropriated for each of fiscal years 2017 through 2022 $10,000,000 to
carry out the pilot program under this section.
(f) Offset.--The amounts otherwise authorized to be appropriated
for Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Human Resources and
Administration for each of fiscal years 2017 through 2022 shall be
reduced by $10,000,000.
(g) Termination.--The authority to carry out a pilot program under
this section shall terminate on the date that is five years after the
date of the enactment of this Act.
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