Veterans Service Dog Program Seeks Funding Boost from Congress

A bipartisan group of lawmakers wants to boost funding for a fledgling VA treatment program that seeks to pair service dogs with military veterans suffering from PTSD and other disorders.

The proposed Service Dogs Assisting Veterans, or SAVES, Act — introduced by Sens. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) — would award grants to organizations involved in programs to provide service dogs to eligible veterans.

The bill builds on the 2021 Puppies Assisting Wounded Servicemembers for Veterans Therapy, or PAWS Act, which created a pilot program at five Department of Veteran Affairs-run medical centers to train service dogs and pair them with veterans.

The new legislation was announced Tuesday, the same day Bloomberg Government reported about disputes over the implementation of the PAWS Act — including over funding and dog-training standards. The VA said the bill did not grant it the authority to fund third-party organizations providing service dogs and their training at the pilot sites. Instead, the providers Paws for Purple Heart, Warrior Canine Connection, and Dogs for Life have footed the bill since the pilot programs began.

Under the new bill, nonprofit organizations could earn up to $2 million to help train the animals and match them with veterans. Applicants to join the program also would have to give the VA descriptions of their training regimen, the aftercare services provided, and a marketing plan to publicize the availability of service dogs.

Service dog providers also would need to certify their accreditation by Assistance Dogs International or another “widely recognized” organization.

The VA declined to comment on the pending legislation.

Service dog organizations have lamented the VA’s slow move to incorporate service dog therapy into readily available and accessible healthcare for veterans. The department’s reluctance is in part due to skepticism over the effectivness of service dog therapy.

Nearly 20% of Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans have PTSD, and more than 450,000 service members have been diagnosed with at least one traumatic brain injury in the last two decades, according to the sponsors of the bill. These veterans suffer from “alarmingly high rates” of depression, anxiety, homelessness, and substance-use disorder, leading to roughly 20 veterans who die by suicide each day.

“Long after the fighting on the battlefield ends, too many of the courageous servicemembers come home and continue to battle against enemies that many consider just as insidious as those with guns, grenades, and rockets,” Tillis said in a statement announcing the legislation.