Puppies Assisting Wounded Servicemembers (PAWS) Act of 2016

Summary: Puppies Assisting Wounded Servicemembers (PAWS) Act of 2016 This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), through the Office of Patient Centered Care and Cultural Transformation, to carry out a five-year pilot program under which the VA shall provide service dogs and veterinary health insurance to certain veterans who: (1) served on active duty on or after September 11, 2001; and (2) were diagnosed with, and continue to suffer from, post-traumatic stress disorder. The provision of a service dog shall be done in addition to other types of treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder and shall not replace established treatment modalities. 

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Puppies Assisting Wounded 
Servicemembers (PAWS) Act of 2016''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) An estimated 14 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 disorder.
            (2) 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 Forces.
            (3) Animals such as dogs can buffer this stress response 
        when humans fail to provide social support.
            (4) Interaction with dogs has been shown to modulate 
        symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, such as anxiety, 
        including fear response and hyperarousal, interpersonal 
        difficulties, social isolation, physical pain, and sleep 
        disturbances.

SEC. 3. PILOT PROGRAM ON DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS PROVISION OF 
              SERVICE DOGS TO CERTAIN VETERANS WITH SEVERE POST-
              TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs, acting through 
the Office of Patient Centered Care and Cultural Transformation, shall 
carry out a pilot program under which the Secretary shall provide to 
eligible veterans with service dogs. 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 modalities. The Secretary of Veterans 
Affairs shall furnish veterinary health insurance for each dog provided 
under the pilot program.
    (b) Eligibility.--
            (1) Initial eligibility.--To be eligible for a service dog 
        under the pilot program a veteran shall--
                    (A) be diagnosed with post-traumatic stress 
                disorder rated at a severity level of three or four on 
                the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale for DSM-5 (CAPS-
                5);
                    (B) have been treated and have completed an 
                established evidence-based treatment and remain 
                significantly symptomatic, as evidenced by the Global 
                Assessment of Functioning or a similar clinical metric;
                    (C) have served on active duty in the Armed Forces 
                on or after September 11, 2001; and
                    (D) have not experienced satisfactory improvement 
                in post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms after being 
                treated with established evidence-based therapies.
            (2) Ongoing eligibility.--To remain eligible to receive 
        canine health insurance furnished by the Department of Veterans 
        Affairs, 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 quarterly.
    (c) Contract Authority.--
            (1) In general.--In carrying out the pilot program under 
        this section, 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--
                    (A) on average, provides one-on-one training for 
                each service canine for a minimum of 30 hours over at 
                least 90 days including a wellness verification from a 
                licensed veterinarian;
                    (B) provides an in-house residential facility in 
                which service dog recipients stay for a minimum of ten 
                days while receiving at least 30 hours of training with 
                their new service canine;
                    (C) ensures all service canines pass the American 
                Kennel Club Canine Good Citizen test prior to permanent 
                placement with a recipient; and
                    (D) provides follow-up support service for the life 
                of the service canine.
            (2) Limitation.--The Secretary may not obligate or expend 
        more than $27,000 for the procurement and training of any dog 
        under a contract entered into under this subsection.
    (d) GAO Study.--Not later than 180 days after the termination of 
the pilot program under this section, the Comptroller General of the 
United States shall submit to Congress a report on the pilot program. 
Such report shall include--
            (1) an evaluation of the effectiveness of the pilot program 
        with respect to--
                    (A) helping veterans with severe post-traumatic 
                stress disorder live normally;
                    (B) relevant metrics, including reduction in 
                metrics such as reduction in scores under the post-
                traumatic stress disorder checklist (PCL), improvement 
                in psychosocial function, and therapeutic compliance;
                    (C) lessening the symptoms of post-traumatic stress 
                disorder; and
                    (D) reducing the dependence of participants on 
                prescription narcotics and psychotropic medication; and
            (2) the recommendations of the Comptroller General with 
        respect to the continuation or expansion of the program.
    (e) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated for each of fiscal years 2017 through 2022 $10,000,000 to 
carry out the pilot program under this section.
    (f) Offset.--The amounts otherwise authorized to be appropriated 
for Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Human Resources and 
Administration for each of fiscal years 2017 through 2022 shall be 
reduced by $10,000,000.
    (g) 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 Act.