,,ii #aafth ,,congress #ast ,session ,s4 #bidi ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,november #ba1 #bjai,mrs4 ,fischer 7for herself1 ,mr4 ,booker1 ,mr4 ,tillis1 ,ms4 ,mc,sally1 ,mr4 ,brown1 ,mr4 ,cornyn1 ,mr4 ,menendez1 ,ms4 ,warren1 and ,mr4 ,rubio7 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 make grants to eligible organizations to provide service dogs to veterans with severe post-traumatic stress disorder1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,puppies ,assisting ,wounded ,servicemembers ,act of #bjai or the ,,paws ,act of #bjai4 #b4 ,findings2 ,sense of ,congress 7a7 ,findings ,congress makes the following findings3 7#a7 ,according to the analyses of veteran suicide published by the ,department of ,veterans ,affairs in ,august #bjaf entitled ,suicide ,among ,veterans and ,other ,americans and in ,june #bjah entitled ,,va ,national ,suicide ,date ,report-- 7,a7 an average of #bj veterans died by suicide each day in #bjad2 7,b7 mental health disorders1 including major depression and other mood disorders1 have been associated with increased risk for suicide2 7,c7 since #bjja1 the proportion of users of the ,veterans ,health ,administration with mental health conditions or substance use disorders has increased from approximately #bg percent in #bjja to more than #dj percent in #bjad2 and 7,d7 overall1 suicide rates are highest among patients with mental health and substance use disorder diagnoses who are in treatment and lower among those who received a mental health diagnosis but were not at risk enough to require enhanced care from a mental health provider4 7#b7 ,pairing a service dog with a veteran costs approximately #be1jjj1 including with respect to training of the service dog as well as training of the veteran with the service dog4 7#c7 ,new1 rigorous scientific research provides persuasive weight to the growing anecdotal evidence that service dogs ameliorate the symptoms associated with post-traumatic stress disorder1 and in particular1 help prevent veteran suicide4 7b7 ,sense of ,congress ,it is the sense of ,congress that the ,department of ,veterans ,affairs must be more effective in its approach to reducing the burden of veteran suicide connected to mental health disorders1 including post-traumatic stress disorder1 and a program and study to assess the benefits of pairing service dogs with veterans suffering from mental health disorders would allow the ,department to better determine the efficacy of using service dogs as a nontraditional therapy to ensure the well-being of veterans4 #c4 ,department of ,veterans ,affairs program to award grants for the provision of service dogs to certain veterans with severe post-traumatic stress disorder 7a7 ,grants 7#a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary of ,veterans ,affairs shall carry out a program under which the ,secretary awards grants to eligible organizations for eligible veterans referred to that organization for a service dog pairing4 7#b7 ,limitation ,the amount of the grant for each eligible veteran referred to an eligible organization under paragraph 7#a7 shall not to exceed #be1jjj4 7b7 ,benefits provided 7#a7 ,in general ,an organization that receives a grant under subsection 7a7 shall provide the following for each service dog and veteran participating in the program3 7,a7 ,coverage of a commercially available veterinary health insurance policy to maintain the health of the dog and keep the dog functioning in the prescribed role for the life of the dog4 7,b7 ,hardware1 or repairs or replacements for hardware1 that are clinically determined to be required by the dog to perform the tasks necessary to assist the veteran with the diagnosed disorder of the veteran4 7,c7 ,payments for travel expenses for the veteran to obtain the dog1 calculated in the same manner as similar travel expenses provided pursuant to section #aaa of title #ch1 ,united ,states ,code4 7#b7 ,other travel expenses ,if a veteran is required to replace a service dog provided pursuant to a grant under this section1 the ,secretary shall pay for the travel expenses described in paragraph 7#a77;,c7 required to obtain a new service dog pursuant to subsection 7c77#c71 regardless of any other benefits the veteran is receiving for the first service dog under this section4 7c7 ,eligible organizations ,to be eligible to receive a grant under this section1 an organization shall-- 7#a7 be a nonprofit organization that-- 7,a7 provides service dogs to veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder2 7,b7 meets the publicly available national standards for service dog providers as set forth by the ,association of ,service ,dog ,providers for ,military ,veterans2 and 7,c7 has expertise in the unique needs of veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder2 7#b7 agree to cover all costs in excess of the grant amount to guarantee the benefits listed under subsection 7b77#a72 7#c7 agree to reaccept or replace a service dog provided by the organization to a veteran1 if necessary1 as determined by the veteran and the organization2 and 7#d7 submit to the ,secretary an application containing such information1 certification1 and assurances as the ,secretary may require4 7d7 ,eligible veterans 7#a7 ,approval and referral 7,a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary of ,veterans ,affairs shall review and approve veterans eligible to participate under this section and shall refer approved veterans to eligible organizations4 7,b7 ,approval determination ,the period beginning on the date on which a veteran applies to participate under this section and the date on which the ,secretary makes an approval determination may not exceed #ij days4 7#b7 ,initial eligibility ,for purposes of this section1 an eligible veteran is a veteran-- 7,a7 who is enrolled in the system of annual patient enrollment of the ,department of ,veterans ,affairs established and operated under section #agje of title #ch1 ,united ,states ,code2 7,b7 who has been treated and has completed an established evidence-based treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder yet remains diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder by a qualified health care provider as rated on the post-traumatic stress disorder checklist 7,,pcl-#e72 7,c7 with respect to whom the health care provider or clinical team of the ,department of ,veterans ,affairs that is treating the veteran for such disorder determines based upon medical judgment that the veteran may potentially benefit from a service dog2 and 7,d7 who agrees to successfully complete training provided by an eligible organization pursuant to subsection 7c74 7#c7 ,ongoing eligibility ,to remain eligible to participate in the program under this section1 a veteran shall see the health care provider or clinical team of the ,department of ,veterans ,affairs treating the veteran for post-traumatic stress disorder at least once every #ahj days to determine1 based on a clinical evaluation of efficacy1 whether the veteran continues to benefit from a service dog4 7#d7 ,other cases ,if at any point the veteran is no longer able or willing to care for the service dog1 the veteran and the organization that provided the service dog to the veteran shall determine the appropriate recourse to ensure the safety of both the veteran and the service dog4 7e7 ,possession of service dog ,except if determined otherwise under subsection 7d77#d71 an eligible veteran in possession of a service dog furnished under the program may elect to keep the service dog for the life of the dog1 regardless of the continued participation of the veteran in the program4 7f7 ,relationship to ,department of ,veterans ,affairs benefits ,the provision of a service dog to a veteran under this section is in addition to any other hospital care or medical service furnished by the ,department for that veteran for post-traumatic stress disorder1 and an improvement in symptoms as a result of the provision of a service dog shall not affect the eligibility of the veteran for any other benefit under the laws administered by the ,secretary4 7g7 ,metrics ,in carrying out this section1 the ,secretary shall-- 7#a7 develop metrics and other appropriate means to measure1 with respect to veterans participating in the program1 the improvement in psychosocial function and therapeutic compliance of such veterans and changes with respect to the dependence on prescription narcotics and psychotropic medication of such veterans2 and 7#b7 establish processes to document and track the progress of such veterans under the program in terms of the benefits and improvements noted as a result of the program4 7h7 ,comptroller ,general briefing and report 7#a7 ,briefing ,not later than one year after the date on which the ,secretary commences the program under subsection 7a71 the ,comptroller ,general of the ,united ,states shall provide to the ,committee on ,veterans' ,affairs of the ,senate and the ,committee on ,veterans' ,affairs of the ,house of ,representatives a briefing on the methodology established for the program4 7#b7 ,report 7,a7 ,in general ,not later than #c years after providing the briefing under paragraph 7#a71 the ,comptroller ,general shall submit to the ,committee on ,veterans' ,affairs of the ,senate and the ,committee on ,veterans' ,affairs of the ,house of ,representatives a report on the program4 7,b7 ,elements ,the report required under subparagraph 7,a7 shall include an evaluation of the approach and methodology used for the program with respect to-- 7i7 helping veterans with severe post-traumatic stress disorder return to civilian life2 7ii7 relevant metrics1 such as reduction in scores under the post-traumatic stress disorder checklist 7,,pcl-#e71 improvement in psychosocial function1 and therapeutic compliance2 and 7iii7 reducing the dependence of participants in the program on prescription narcotics and psychotropic medication4 7i7 ,authorization of appropriations ,there is authorized to be appropriated for the period of fiscal year #bjbj through fiscal year #bjbb1 #aj1jjj1jjj to carry out the program under this section4