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 a service dog and veterinary health insurance to a veteran who:   is diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder rated at a severity level of 3 or 4 on the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale for DSM-5 (CAPS-5), has completed an evidence-based treatment and remains significantly symptomatic,  served on active duty on or after September 11, 2001,  has not experienced satisfactory improvement in symptoms after being treated with evidence-based therapies.    The VA shall enter into contracts with appropriate providers that are certified by Assistance Dogs International or a similar organization for the procurement of service dogs and training of such dogs and their recipients. 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 PROVISION BY DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS OF 
              SERVICE DOGS TO CERTAIN VETERANS WITH SEVERE POST-
              TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER.

    (a) Pilot Program.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs, acting 
        through the Office of Patient Centered Care and Cultural 
        Transformation of the Department of Veterans Affairs, shall 
        carry out a pilot program under which the Secretary provides 
        service dogs to eligible veterans.
            (2) Veterinary insurance.--The Secretary shall furnish 
        veterinary health insurance for each service dog provided to an 
        eligible veteran under the pilot program.
    (b) Eligibility.--
            (1) Initial eligibility.--A veteran is eligible for a 
        service dog under the pilot program if the veteran--
                    (A) is 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) has completed an established evidence-based 
                treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder and 
                remains significantly symptomatic, as evidenced by the 
                Global Assessment of Functioning or a similar clinical 
                metric;
                    (C) has served on active duty in the Armed Forces 
                on or after September 11, 2001; and
                    (D) has not experienced satisfactory improvement in 
                post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms after being 
                treated with established evidence-based therapies.
            (2) Ongoing eligibility for veterinary insurance.--To 
        remain eligible to receive veterinary health insurance from the 
        Department for a service dog provided under the pilot program, 
        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 90 days.
    (c) Contract Authority.--
            (1) In general.--In carrying out the pilot program, 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--
                    (A) on average, provide one-on-one training for 
                each service dog for a minimum of 30 hours during a 
                period of not less than 90 days, including the 
                provision of a wellness verification from a licensed 
                veterinarian;
                    (B) provide an in-house residential facility at 
                which recipients of service dogs stay for a minimum of 
                ten days and receive not less than 30 hours of training 
                with their new service dog;
                    (C) ensure all service dogs trained by the provider 
                pass the American Kennel Club Canine Good Citizen test 
                prior to permanent placement with a recipient; and
                    (D) provide follow-up support service for the life 
                of the service dog.
            (2) Limitation.--The Secretary may not obligate or expend 
        more than $27,000 for the procurement and training of any 
        service dog under a contract entered into under this 
        subsection.
    (d) 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 modalities.
    (e) GAO Study.--
            (1) In general.--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.
            (2) Elements.--The report required by paragraph (1) shall 
        include--
                    (A) an evaluation of the effectiveness of the pilot 
                program with respect to--
                            (i) helping veterans with severe post-
                        traumatic stress disorder live normally;
                            (ii) relevant metrics, including reduction 
                        in scores under the post-traumatic stress 
                        disorder checklist (PCL), improvement in 
                        psychosocial function, and therapeutic 
                        compliance;
                            (iii) lessening the symptoms of post-
                        traumatic stress disorder; and
                            (iv) reducing the dependence of 
                        participants under the pilot program on 
                        prescription narcotics and psychotropic 
                        medication; and
                    (B) the recommendations of the Comptroller General 
                with respect to the continuation or expansion of the 
                pilot program.
    (f) 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.
    (g) 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 2017 through 2022 shall be 
reduced by $10,000,000.
    (h) 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 Act.