II 

111TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 1495 

To require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to carry out a pilot program 

to assess the feasibility and advisability of using service dogs for the 

treatment or rehabilitation of veterans with physical or mental injuries 

or disabilities, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JULY 22, 2009 

Mr. FRANKEN (for himself, Mr. ISAKSON, Ms. LANDRIEU, Mr. GRAHAM, Mr. 

BEGICH, and Mr. BROWN) introduced the following bill; which was read 

twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 

A BILL 

To require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to carry out 

a pilot program to assess the feasibility and advisability 

of using service dogs for the treatment or rehabilitation 

of veterans with physical or mental injuries or disabilities, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Service Dogs for Vet5 erans Act of 2009’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. PILOT PROGRAM ON USE OF SERVICE DOGS FOR 

2 THE TREATMENT OR REHABILITATION OF 

3 VETERANS WITH PHYSICAL OR MENTAL INJU4 RIES OR DISABILITIES. 

5 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress makes the following find6 ings: 

7 (1) The United States owes a profound debt to 

8 those who have served the United States honorably 

9 in the Armed Forces. 

10 (2) Disabled veterans suffer from a range of 

11 physical and mental injuries and disabilities. 

12 (3) In 2008, the Army reported the highest 

13 level of suicides among its soldiers since it began 

14 tracking the rate 28 years before 2009. 

15 (4) A scientific study documented in the 2008 

16 Rand Report entitled ‘‘Invisible Wounds of War’’ es17 timated that 300,000 veterans of Operation Endur18 ing Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom currently 

19 suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder. 

20 (5) Veterans have benefitted in multiple ways 

21 from the provision of service dogs. 

22 (6) The Department of Veterans Affairs has 

23 been successfully placing guide dogs with the blind 

24 since 1961. 

25 (7) Thousands of dogs around the country 

26 await adoption. 


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1 (b) PROGRAM REQUIRED.—Not later than 120 days 

2 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary 

3 of Veterans Affairs shall commence a three-year pilot pro4 gram to assess the benefits, feasibility, and advisability of 

5 using service dogs for the treatment or rehabilitation of 

6 veterans with physical or mental injuries or disabilities, 

7 including post-traumatic stress disorder. 

8 (c) PARTNERSHIPS.— 

9 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall carry 

10 out the pilot program by partnering with nonprofit 

11 organizations that— 

12 (A) have experience providing service dogs 

13 to individuals with injuries or disabilities; 

14 (B) do not charge fees for the dogs, serv15 ices, or lodging that they provide; and 

16 (C) are accredited by a generally accepted 

17 industry-standard accrediting institution. 

18 (2) REIMBURSEMENT OF COSTS.—The Sec19 retary shall reimburse partners for costs relating to 

20 the pilot program as follows: 

21 (A) For the first 50 dogs provided under 

22 the pilot program, all costs relating to the pro23 vision of such dogs. 


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1 (B) For dogs provided under the pilot pro2 gram after the first 50 dogs provided, all costs 

3 relating to the provision of every other dog. 

4 (d) PARTICIPATION.— 

5 (1) IN GENERAL.—As part of the pilot pro6 gram, the Secretary shall provide a service dog to a 

7 number of veterans with physical or mental injuries 

8 or disabilities that is greater than or equal to the 

9 greater of— 

10 (A) 200; and 

11 (B) the minimum number of such veterans 

12 required to produce scientifically valid results 

13 with respect to assessing the benefits and costs 

14 of the use of such dogs for the treatment or re15 habilitation of such veterans. 

16 (2) COMPOSITION.—The Secretary shall ensure 

17 that— 

18 (A) half of the participants in the pilot 

19 program are veterans who suffer primarily from 

20 a mental health injury or disability; and 

21 (B) half of the participants in the pilot 

22 program are veterans who suffer primarily from 

23 a physical injury or disability. 

24 (e) STUDY.—In carrying out the pilot program, the 

25 Secretary shall conduct a scientifically valid research 


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1 study of the costs and benefits associated with the use of 

2 service dogs for the treatment or rehabilitation of veterans 

3 with physical or mental injuries or disabilities. The mat4 ters studied shall include the following: 

5 (1) The therapeutic benefits to such veterans, 

6 including the quality of life benefits reported by the 

7 veterans partaking in the pilot program. 

8 (2) The economic benefits of using service dogs 

9 for the treatment or rehabilitation of such veterans, 

10 including— 

11 (A) savings on health care costs, including 

12 savings relating to reductions in hospitalization 

13 and reductions in the use of prescription drugs; 

14 and 

15 (B) productivity and employment gains for 

16 the veterans. 

17 (3) The effectiveness of using service dogs to 

18 prevent suicide. 

19 (f) REPORTS.— 

20 (1) ANNUAL REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.— 

21 After each year of the pilot program, the Secretary 

22 shall submit to Congress a report on the findings of 

23 the Secretary with respect to the pilot program. 

24 (2) FINAL REPORT BY THE NATIONAL ACADEMY

25 OF SCIENCES.—Not later than 180 days after the 


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1 date of the completion of the pilot program, the Na2 tional Academy of Sciences shall submit to Congress 

3 a report on the results of the pilot program. 

Æ 


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