[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2949 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 2949

To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to make grants to eligible 
  organizations to provide service dogs to veterans with severe post-
           traumatic stress disorder, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           November 21, 2019

  Mrs. Fischer (for herself, Mr. Booker, Mr. Tillis, Ms. McSally, Mr. 
Brown, Mr. Cornyn, Mr. Menendez, Ms. Warren, and Mr. Rubio) introduced 
the following bill; 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 disorder, and for other purposes.

    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 Act of 2019'' or the ``PAWS Act of 2019''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS; SENSE OF CONGRESS.

    (a) Findings.--Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) According to the analyses of veteran suicide published 
        by the Department of Veterans Affairs in August 2016 entitled 
        ``Suicide Among Veterans and Other Americans'' and in June 2018 
        entitled ``VA National Suicide Date Report''--
                    (A) an average of 20 veterans died by suicide each 
                day in 2014;
                    (B) mental health disorders, including major 
                depression and other mood disorders, have been 
                associated with increased risk for suicide;
                    (C) since 2001, the proportion of users of the 
                Veterans Health Administration with mental health 
                conditions or substance use disorders has increased 
                from approximately 27 percent in 2001 to more than 40 
                percent in 2014; and
                    (D) overall, 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 provider.
            (2) Pairing a service dog with a veteran costs 
        approximately $25,000, including with respect to training of 
        the service dog as well as training of the veteran with the 
        service dog.
            (3) New, rigorous scientific research provides persuasive 
        weight to the growing anecdotal evidence that service dogs 
        ameliorate the symptoms associated with post-traumatic stress 
        disorder, and in particular, help prevent veteran suicide.
    (b) 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 
disorders, including post-traumatic stress disorder, 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 veterans.

SEC. 3. DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS PROGRAM TO AWARD GRANTS FOR THE 
              PROVISION OF SERVICE DOGS TO CERTAIN VETERANS WITH SEVERE 
              POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER.

    (a) Grants.--
            (1) 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 pairing.
            (2) Limitation.--The amount of the grant for each eligible 
        veteran referred to an eligible organization under paragraph 
        (1) shall not to exceed $25,000.
    (b) Benefits Provided.--
            (1) In general.--An organization that receives a grant 
        under subsection (a) shall provide the following for each 
        service dog and veteran participating in the program:
                    (A) 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 dog.
                    (B) Hardware, or repairs or replacements for 
                hardware, 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 veteran.
                    (C) Payments for travel expenses for the veteran to 
                obtain the dog, calculated in the same manner as 
                similar travel expenses provided pursuant to section 
                111 of title 38, United States Code.
            (2) Other travel expenses.--If a veteran is required to 
        replace a service dog provided pursuant to a grant under this 
        section, the Secretary shall pay for the travel expenses 
        described in paragraph (1)(C) required to obtain a new service 
        dog pursuant to subsection (c)(3), regardless of any other 
        benefits the veteran is receiving for the first service dog 
        under this section.
    (c) Eligible Organizations.--To be eligible to receive a grant 
under this section, an organization shall--
            (1) be a nonprofit organization that--
                    (A) provides service dogs to veterans with post-
                traumatic stress disorder;
                    (B) meets the publicly available national standards 
                for service dog providers as set forth by the 
                Association of Service Dog Providers for Military 
                Veterans; and
                    (C) has expertise in the unique needs of veterans 
                with post-traumatic stress disorder;
            (2) agree to cover all costs in excess of the grant amount 
        to guarantee the benefits listed under subsection (b)(1);
            (3) agree to reaccept or replace a service dog provided by 
        the organization to a veteran, if necessary, as determined by 
        the veteran and the organization; and
            (4) submit to the Secretary an application containing such 
        information, certification, and assurances as the Secretary may 
        require.
    (d) Eligible Veterans.--
            (1) Approval and referral.--
                    (A) 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 organizations.
                    (B) 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 90 days.
            (2) Initial eligibility.--For purposes of this section, an 
        eligible veteran is a veteran--
                    (A) who is enrolled in the system of annual patient 
                enrollment of the Department of Veterans Affairs 
                established and operated under section 1705 of title 
                38, United States Code;
                    (B) 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 (PCL-5);
                    (C) 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 dog; and
                    (D) who agrees to successfully complete training 
                provided by an eligible organization pursuant to 
                subsection (c).
            (3) Ongoing eligibility.--To remain eligible to participate 
        in the program under this section, 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 180 days to determine, based on a 
        clinical evaluation of efficacy, whether the veteran continues 
        to benefit from a service dog.
            (4) Other cases.--If at any point the veteran is no longer 
        able or willing to care for the service dog, 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 dog.
    (e) Possession of Service Dog.--Except if determined otherwise 
under subsection (d)(4), 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 dog, regardless of the continued participation of the 
veteran in the program.
    (f) 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 disorder, 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 Secretary.
    (g) Metrics.--In carrying out this section, the Secretary shall--
            (1) develop metrics and other appropriate means to measure, 
        with respect to veterans participating in the program, 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 
        veterans; and
            (2) 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 program.
    (h) Comptroller General Briefing and Report.--
            (1) Briefing.--Not later than one year after the date on 
        which the Secretary commences the program under subsection (a), 
        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 program.
            (2) Report.--
                    (A) In general.--Not later than 3 years after 
                providing the briefing under paragraph (1), 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 program.
                    (B) Elements.--The report required under 
                subparagraph (A) shall include an evaluation of the 
                approach and methodology used for the program with 
                respect to--
                            (i) helping veterans with severe post-
                        traumatic stress disorder return to civilian 
                        life;
                            (ii) relevant metrics, such as reduction in 
                        scores under the post-traumatic stress disorder 
                        checklist (PCL-5), improvement in psychosocial 
                        function, and therapeutic compliance; and
                            (iii) reducing the dependence of 
                        participants in the program on prescription 
                        narcotics and psychotropic medication.
    (i) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated for the period of fiscal year 2020 through fiscal year 
2022, $10,000,000 to carry out the program under this section.
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