,i #aadth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,h4 ,r4 #dgfd ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,march #af1 #bjaf ,mr4 ,de,santis 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,rooney of ,florida1 ,mr4 ,rothfus1 ,ms4 ,stefanik1 ,mr4 ,nugent1 ,mr4 ,weber of ,texas1 ,mrs4 ,ellmers of ,north ,carolina1 ,mr4 ,meadows1 ,mr4 ,byrne1 ,mr4 ,bishop of ,michigan1 ,mr4 ,flores1 ,ms4 ,mc,sally1 ,mr4 ,jolly1 ,mr4 ,johnson of ,georgia1 ,mr4 ,salmon1 ,ms4 ,gabbard1 and ,ms4 ,sinema7 introduced the following bill2 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 disorder4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,puppies ,assisting ,wounded ,servicemembers 7,,paws7 ,act of #bjaf4 #b4 ,findings ,congress makes the following findings3 7#a7 ,an estimated #ad 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 disorder4 7#b7 ,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 ,forces4 7#c7 ,animals such as dogs can buffer this stress response when humans fail to provide social support4 7#d7 ,interaction with dogs has been shown to modulate symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder1 such as anxiety1 including fear response and hyperarousal1 interpersonal difficulties1 social isolation1 physical pain1 and sleep disturbances4 #c4 ,pilot program on ,department of ,veterans ,affairs provision of service dogs to certain veterans with severe post-traumatic stress disorder 7a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary of ,veterans ,affairs1 acting through the ,office of ,patient ,centered ,care and ,cultural ,transformation1 shall carry out a pilot program under which the ,secretary shall provide to eligible veterans with service dogs4 ,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 modalities4 ,the ,secretary of ,veterans ,affairs shall furnish veterinary health insurance for each dog provided under the pilot program4 7b7 ,eligibility 7#a7 ,initial eligibility ,to be eligible for a service dog under the pilot program a veteran shall-- 7,a7 be diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder rated at a severity level of three or four on the ,clinician-,administered ,,ptsd ,scale for ,,dsm-#e 7,,caps-#e72 7,b7 have been treated and have completed an established evidence-based treatment and remain significantly symptomatic1 as evidenced by the ,global ,assessment of ,functioning or a similar clinical metric2 7,c7 have served on active duty in the ,armed ,forces on or after ,september #aa1 #bjja2 and 7,d7 have not experienced satisfactory improvement in post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms after being treated with established evidence-based therapies4 7#b7 ,ongoing eligibility ,to remain eligible to receive canine health insurance furnished by the ,department of ,veterans ,affairs1 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 quarterly4 7c7 ,contract authority 7#a7 ,in general ,in carrying out the pilot program under this section1 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-- 7,a7 on average1 provides one-on-one training for each service canine for a minimum of #cj hours over at least #ij days including a wellness verification from a licensed veterinarian2 7,b7 provides an in-house residential facility in which service dog recipients stay for a minimum of ten days while receiving at least #cj hours of training with their new service canine2 7,c7 ensures all service canines pass the ,american ,kennel ,club ,canine ,good ,citizen test prior to permanent placement with a recipient2 and 7,d7 provides follow-up support service for the life of the service canine4 7#b7 ,limitation ,the ,secretary may not obligate or expend more than #bg1jjj for the procurement and training of any dog under a contract entered into under this subsection4 7d7 ,,gao study ,not later than #ahj days after the termination of the pilot program under this section1 the ,comptroller ,general of the ,united ,states shall submit to ,congress a report on the pilot program4 ,such report shall include-- 7#a7 an evaluation of the effectiveness of the pilot program with respect to-- 7,a7 helping veterans with severe post-traumatic stress disorder live normally2 7,b7 relevant metrics1 including reduction in metrics such as reduction in scores under the post-traumatic stress disorder checklist 7,,pcl71 improvement in psychosocial function1 and therapeutic compliance2 7,c7 lessening the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder2 and 7,d7 reducing the dependence of participants on prescription narcotics and psychotropic medication2 and 7#b7 the recommendations of the ,comptroller ,general with respect to the continuation or expansion of the program4 7e7 ,authorization of appropriations ,there is authorized to be appropriated for each of fiscal years #bjag through #bjbb #aj1jjj1jjj to carry out the pilot program under this section4 7f7 ,offset ,the amounts otherwise authorized to be appropriated for ,department of ,veterans ,affairs ,office of ,human ,resources and ,administration for each of fiscal years #bjag through #bjbb shall be reduced by #aj1jjj1jjj4 7g7 ,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 ,act4