,,ii #aadth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,s4 #cacb ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,july #f1 #bjaf,mrs4 ,fischer 7for herself and ,mr4 ,booker7 introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and 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 provision by ,department of ,veterans ,affairs of service dogs to certain veterans with severe post-traumatic stress disorder 7a7 ,pilot program 7#a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary of ,veterans ,affairs1 acting through the ,office of ,patient ,centered ,care and ,cultural ,transformation of the ,department of ,veterans ,affairs1 shall carry out a pilot program under which the ,secretary provides service dogs to eligible veterans4 7#b7 ,veterinary insurance ,the ,secretary shall furnish veterinary health insurance for each service dog provided to an eligible veteran under the pilot program4 7b7 ,eligibility 7#a7 ,initial eligibility ,a veteran is eligible for a service dog under the pilot program if the veteran-- 7,a7 is 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 has completed an established evidence-based treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder and remains significantly symptomatic1 as evidenced by the ,global ,assessment of ,functioning or a similar clinical metric2 7,c7 has served on active duty in the ,armed ,forces on or after ,september #aa1 #bjja2 and 7,d7 has not experienced satisfactory improvement in post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms after being treated with established evidence-based therapies4 7#b7 ,ongoing eligibility for veterinary insurance ,to remain eligible to receive veterinary health insurance from the ,department for a service dog provided under the pilot program1 a veteran shall see a physician at a medical facility of the ,department who is a primary care provider or mental health care provider not less frequently than once every #ij days4 7c7 ,contract authority 7#a7 ,in general ,in carrying out the pilot program1 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 and that-- 7,a7 on average1 provide one-on-one training for each service dog for a minimum of #cj hours during a period of not less than #ij days1 including the provision of a wellness verification from a licensed veterinarian2 7,b7 provide an in-house residential facility at which recipients of service dogs stay for a minimum of ten days and receive not less than #cj hours of training with their new service dog2 7,c7 ensure all service dogs trained by the provider pass the ,american ,kennel ,club ,canine ,good ,citizen test prior to permanent placement with a recipient2 and 7,d7 provide follow-up support service for the life of the service dog4 7#b7 ,limitation ,the ,secretary may not obligate or expend more than #bg1jjj for the procurement and training of any service dog under a contract entered into under this subsection4 7d7 ,effect on other treatment ,the provision of a service dog under the pilot program shall be in addition to other types of treatment provided for post-traumatic stress disorder and shall not replace established treatment modalities4 7e7 ,,gao study 7#a7 ,in general ,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 7#b7 ,elements ,the report required by paragraph 7#a7 shall include-- 7,a7 an evaluation of the effectiveness of the pilot program with respect to-- 7i7 helping veterans with severe post-traumatic stress disorder live normally2 7ii7 relevant metrics1 including reduction in scores under the post-traumatic stress disorder checklist 7,,pcl71 improvement in psychosocial function1 and therapeutic compliance2 7iii7 lessening the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder2 and 7iv7 reducing the dependence of participants under the pilot program on prescription narcotics and psychotropic medication2 and 7,b7 the recommendations of the ,comptroller ,general with respect to the continuation or expansion of the pilot program4 7f7 ,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 7g7 ,offset ,the amounts otherwise authorized to be appropriated for the ,office of ,human ,resources and ,administration of the ,department of ,veterans ,affairs for each of fiscal years #bjag through #bjbb shall be reduced by #aj1jjj1jjj4 7h7 ,termination ,the authority to carry out the pilot program under this section shall terminate on the date that is five years after the date of the enactment of this ,act4