IB 

Union Calendar No. 16 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1448 

[Report No. 117–31] 

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

on dog training therapy, and to amend title 38, United States Code, 

to authorize the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to provide service dogs 

to veterans with mental illnesses who do not have mobility impairments. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 1, 2021 

Mr. STIVERS (for himself, Miss RICE of New York, Mr. WALTZ, Ms. SLOTKIN, 

Mr. DUNN, Ms. SHERRILL, Mr. RUTHERFORD, Mr. RICE of South Carolina, Mr. TAYLOR, Ms. VELA ́ZQUEZ, Mr. FITZPATRICK, Mr. STEUBE, Mr. 

COOPER, Mr. CRENSHAW, Mr. JOHNSON of Ohio, Mr. NADLER, Mrs. 

BEATTY, Mr. BUCHANAN, Mr. NORMAN, Mrs. MURPHY of Florida, Mr. 

ZELDIN, Mrs. AXNE, Mr. HASTINGS, Mrs. WALORSKI, Mr. GONZALEZ of 

Ohio, Mr. LIEU, Mr. WEBSTER of Florida, Mr. MCKINLEY, Ms. MOORE

of Wisconsin, Mr. SEAN PATRICK MALONEY of New York, Mr. COHEN, 

Mr. VICENTE GONZALEZ of Texas, Mr. SWALWELL, Mr. PANETTA, Ms. 

KAPTUR, Mr. PALAZZO, Ms. HOULAHAN, Mr. RASKIN, Mr. WOMACK, Mr. 

O’HALLERAN, Ms. BARRAGA ́N, Mr. GALLAGHER, Mr. VAN DREW, Mr. 

KEATING, Mr. GAETZ, Ms. PINGREE, Mr. PERLMUTTER, Mr. COSTA, Mr. 

TURNER, Mr. KRISHNAMOORTHI, Mr. BACON, Mr. TRONE, Mr. 

MORELLE, Mr. BAIRD, Mr. JOYCE of Ohio, Mr. MOOLENAAR, Mr. LAMB, 

Mr. GRIJALVA, Mr. BUCK, Mr. RESCHENTHALER, Ms. DELBENE, Mr. 

MURPHY of North Carolina, Mr. BRENDAN F. BOYLE of Pennsylvania, 

Mr. GIMENEZ, Mr. BISHOP of North Carolina, Mr. PERRY, Mr. KELLY

of Pennsylvania, Mr. HICE of Georgia, Mr. PENCE, Ms. HERRELL, Mrs. 

BICE of Oklahoma, Mr. ESPAILLAT, Mr. BERGMAN, Mr. FORTENBERRY, 

Mr. CALVERT, Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia, Mr. LONG, Ms. MACE, Mr. 

STEWART, Mr. CARL, Mr. NEGUSE, Mr. CAWTHORN, Mrs. MILLERMEEKS, Mr. WILLIAMS of Texas, Mr. SMITH of Missouri, Mrs. WATSON

COLEMAN, Mr. BANKS, Mr. HIGGINS of Louisiana, Mr. SUOZZI, Mr. 

BALDERSON, Mrs. MILLER of West Virginia, Mr. LARSEN of Washington, 

Mrs. KIRKPATRICK, Ms. KUSTER, Mr. GRAVES of Louisiana, Mr. STANTON, Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD, Mr. RUSH, Mr. FERGUSON, Mr. LAMBORN, 


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Mr. HAGEDORN, Mr. AMODEI, Mr. SCHWEIKERT, Mr. POSEY, Mrs. WAGNER, Mr. LATTA, Mr. CRAWFORD, Mr. KUSTOFF, Mr. SMUCKER, Mr. 

CARTER of Texas, Mr. ROSE, Mr. MASSIE, Mr. WALBERG, Mr. 

HUIZENGA, Mr. ROY, Mr. UPTON, Mr. KATKO, Mr. EMMER, Mr. WELCH, 

Mr. MCNERNEY, Mr. BILIRAKIS, Mr. TIFFANY, Mr. WENSTRUP, Mr. 

BUDD, Mr. YOUNG, Mr. BIGGS, Mr. BRADY, Mr. BURCHETT, Ms. ESHOO, 

Mr. ARMSTRONG, Mr. CROW, Mr. HILL, Ms. MALLIOTAKIS, Mr. 

FULCHER, Mr. MOORE of Alabama, Mr. LAHOOD, Mr. BABIN, Mr. RODNEY DAVIS of Illinois, Mr. ALLEN, Mr. CURTIS, Mr. VARGAS, Ms. 

ESCOBAR, Mr. COMER, Mr. ESTES, Mrs. LESKO, Mr. MCCAUL, Mr. SCALISE, Mr. ROUZER, Mrs. HARTZLER, Mr. STEIL, Mr. LAMALFA, Ms. 

STEFANIK, Mr. MCCLINTOCK, Ms. HERRERA BEUTLER, Mrs. RODGERS

of Washington, Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky, Mr. GROTHMAN, Mr. AUSTIN

SCOTT of Georgia, Mr. LOUDERMILK, Mr. CLOUD, Mr. COURTNEY, Mr. 

REED, Mr. CARTER of Georgia, Mr. MCHENRY, Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania, Mr. WESTERMAN, Mr. MULLIN, Mr. BURGESS, Mr. JOYCE of 

Pennsylvania, Mr. C. SCOTT FRANKLIN of Florida, Mr. SIMPSON, Mr. 

MAST, Mr. VALADAO, Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana, Mr. BARR, Mr. 

DESJARLAIS, Mr. DUNCAN, Mr. FLEISCHMANN, Mr. GIBBS, Mr. GREEN

of Tennessee, Mr. HUDSON, Mr. KELLY of Mississippi, Mr. LUETKEMEYER, Mr. NEWHOUSE, Mr. ROGERS of Alabama, Mr. TIMMONS, Mr. 

CHABOT, Mrs. MCCLAIN, Mr. GARCIA of California, Mr. LYNCH, Mr. 

AUCHINCLOSS, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Mrs. TRAHAN, Mrs. TORRES of California, Mr. PETERS, Mr. MEEKS, Mr. MEUSER, Mr. CA ́RDENAS, Mr. 

MOULTON, Mrs. RADEWAGEN, Mr. BLUMENAUER, Ms. MCCOLLUM, Mr. 

HARRIS, Mr. SMITH of Nebraska, Mr. KILMER, Mr. SOTO, Mrs. HINSON, 

Ms. TENNEY, Mr. DAVIDSON, Mr. GOODEN of Texas, Mr. GOSAR, Ms. 

CHENEY, Mr. BUCSHON, Mr. WILSON of South Carolina, Mr. SESSIONS, 

Ms. FUDGE, and Mr. STAUBER) introduced the following bill; which was 

referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 

MAY 12, 2021 

Additional sponsors: Ms. CHU, Mr. PHILLIPS, Mr. RUIZ, Mr. RUPPERSBERGER, Mr. GARBARINO, Mr. GUEST, Mr. BISHOP of Georgia, Ms. 

NEWMAN, Mr. HARDER of California, Mr. KINZINGER, Ms. SPANBERGER, 

Mr. DELGADO, Ms. NORTON, Mr. JONES, Mr. CLINE, Ms. TITUS, Mr. 

DOGGETT, Mr. KIND, Mr. SARBANES, Mr. CLEAVER, Ms. GRANGER, Mr. 

WITTMAN, Mr. GUTHRIE, Mr. NUNES, Mr. SMITH of New Jersey, Mr. 

BOST, Mr. WEBER of Texas, Mr. GRAVES of Missouri, Mr. HERN, Mr. 

AGUILAR, Mr. ALLRED, Ms. BONAMICI, Mrs. BUSTOS, Ms. CLARK of 

Massachusetts, Ms. DEAN, Mr. GOTTHEIMER, Mr. HIMES, Mr. SCHRADER, Ms. WILD, Ms. CRAIG, Mrs. DINGELL, Ms. KELLY of Illinois, Ms. 

BLUNT ROCHESTER, Ms. SEWELL, Mr. HOLLINGSWORTH, Mr. DIAZBALART, Mr. HIGGINS of New York, Ms. JACKSON LEE, Mr. ADERHOLT, 

Mr. MOONEY, Mr. BROOKS, Mr. BENTZ, Mr. PALMER, Mr. CUELLAR, 

Mr. COLE, Mr. NORCROSS, Mr. JACKSON, Mr. TONY GONZALES of Texas, 

Mr. OWENS, Mr. PFLUGER, Mrs. STEEL, Mr. FEENSTRA, Mrs. KIM of 

California, Mr. TORRES of New York, Ms. ROSS, Mrs. GREENE of Georgia, Mr. POCAN, Mr. MOORE of Utah, Mr. MEIJER, Mr. NEHLS, Ms. 

SALAZAR, Mr. CORREA, Ms. TLAIB, Ms. MANNING, Mr. SHERMAN, Mr. 

MALINOWSKI, Ms. STEVENS, Ms. ADAMS, Mr. OBERNOLTE, Mr. 


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LATURNER, Mr. ISSA, Ms. CLARKE of New York, Ms. JACOBS of California, Mrs. SPARTZ, Mr. LUCAS, Mr. GRIFFITH, Mrs. FISCHBACH, Mr. 

ROSENDALE, Mr. JORDAN, Mrs. LURIA, Mrs. CAMMACK, Mrs. LEE of Nevada, Ms. WILLIAMS of Georgia, Mr. FOSTER, Mr. JACOBS of New York, 

Mr. SCHNEIDER, Mr. LARSON of Connecticut, Mr. MANN, Miss 

GONZA ́LEZ-COLO ́N, Mr. LAWSON of Florida, and Mr. CASTEN

MAY 12, 2021 

Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole 

House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed 

[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic] 

[For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on March 1, 2021] 


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A BILL 

To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to carry out 

a pilot program on dog training therapy, and to amend 

title 38, United States Code, to authorize the Secretary 

of Veterans Affairs to provide service dogs to veterans 

with mental illnesses who do not have mobility impairments. 


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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 ‘‘Puppies Assisting 

5 Wounded Servicemembers for Veterans Therapy Act’’ or the 

6 ‘‘PAWS for Veterans Therapy Act’’. 

7 SEC. 2. DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS PILOT PRO8 GRAM ON DOG TRAINING THERAPY. 

9 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after the 

10 date of the enactment of the Act, the Secretary of Veterans 

11 Affairs shall commence the conduct of a pilot program to 

12 provide canine training to eligible veterans diagnosed with 

13 post-traumatic stress disorder (in this section referred to as 

14 ‘‘PTSD’’) as an element of a complementary and integra15 tive health program for such veterans. 

16 (b) DURATION; MEDICAL CENTERS.— 

17 (1) DURATION.—The Secretary shall carry out 

18 the pilot program under subsection (a) for a five-year 

19 period beginning on the date of the commencement of 

20 the pilot program. 

21 (2) MEDICAL CENTERS.—The Secretary shall en22 sure that such pilot program is carried out by not 

23 fewer than five medical centers of the Department of 

24 Veterans Affairs located in geographically diverse 

25 areas. 


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1 (c) AGREEMENTS WITH ENTITIES.—In carrying out 

2 the pilot program under subsection (a), the Secretary shall 

3 seek to enter into agreements with nongovernmental entities 

4 that the Secretary determines have the demonstrated ability 

5 to provide the canine training specified in subsection (a). 

6 (d) REQUIRED CONDITIONS.—The Secretary shall in7 clude in any agreement under subsection (c) conditions re8 quiring that the nongovernmental entity seeking to enter 

9 into the agreement— 

10 (1) submits to the Secretary certification that the 

11 entity is an accredited service dog training organiza12 tion; 

13 (2) agrees to ensure that veterans participating 

14 in the pilot program under subsection (a) receive 

15 training from certified service dog training instruc16 tors for a period of time determined appropriate by 

17 the entity; 

18 (3) agrees to ensure that veterans participating 

19 in such pilot program are prohibited from having ac20 cess to a dog under such pilot program at any time 

21 during such participation without the supervision of 

22 a certified service dog training instructor; 

23 (4) agrees to ensure that veterans participating 

24 in such pilot program receive training in skills 


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1 unique to the needs of the veteran to address or allevi2 ate PTSD symptoms of the veteran; 

3 (5) agrees not to use shock collars or prong col4 lars as training tools and to use positive reinforce5 ment training; and 

6 (6) agrees to provide any follow-up training sup7 port specified in subsection (e)(2), as applicable. 

8 (e) ADOPTION OF DOG.— 

9 (1) IN GENERAL.—A veteran who has partici10 pated in the pilot program under subsection (a) may 

11 adopt a dog that the veteran assisted in training dur12 ing such pilot program if the veteran and the vet13 eran’s health provider (in consultation with the entity 

14 that provided the canine training with respect to the 

15 dog under such pilot program) determine that it is in 

16 the best interest of the veteran. 

17 (2) FOLLOW-UP TRAINING SUPPORT.—If a vet18 eran adopts a dog under paragraph (1), the entity 

19 that provided the canine training with respect to the 

20 dog under the pilot program shall provide follow-up 

21 training support for the life of the dog. Such support 

22 shall include the provision of a contact plan between 

23 the veteran and the entity that enables the veteran to 

24 seek and receive assistance from the entity to ensure 

25 the dog is being properly cared for. 


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1 (f) ELIGIBILITY FOR OTHER CARE AND TREAT2 MENT.—Participation in the pilot program under sub3 section (a) may not preclude a veteran from receiving any 

4 other medical care or treatment for PTSD furnished by the 

5 Department, including therapy, for which the veteran is 

6 otherwise eligible. 

7 (g) COLLECTION OF DATA.—In carrying out this sec8 tion, the Secretary shall— 

9 (1) develop metrics and other appropriate means 

10 to measure, with respect to veterans participating in 

11 the pilot program under subsection (a)— 

12 (A) the number of such veterans partici13 pating; 

14 (B) the satisfaction of such veterans with 

15 the pilot program; 

16 (C) whether participation in the pilot pro17 gram resulted in any clinically relevant im18 provements for such veterans, as determined by 

19 the health care provider or clinical team that re20 ferred the veteran to participate in the pilot pro21 gram; and 

22 (D) such other factors as the Secretary may 

23 determine appropriate; and 


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1 (2) establish processes to document and track the 

2 progress of such veterans under the pilot program 

3 with respect to health benefits and improvements. 

4 (h) REPORT BY SECRETARY.—Not later than one year 

5 before the date on which the pilot program under subsection 

6 (a) terminates, the Secretary shall submit to the Committees 

7 on Veterans’ Affairs of the House of Representatives and 

8 the Senate a report containing the recommendations of the 

9 Secretary regarding— 

10 (1) whether to extend or make permanent the 

11 pilot program; and 

12 (2) the feasibility and advisability of expanding 

13 the pilot program to address mental health conditions 

14 other than PTSD. 

15 (i) GAO BRIEFING AND STUDY.— 

16 (1) BRIEFING.—Not later than one year after the 

17 date of the commencement of the pilot program under 

18 subsection (a), the Comptroller General of the United 

19 States shall provide to the Committees on Veterans’ 

20 Affairs of the House of Representatives and the Senate 

21 a briefing on the methodology established for the pilot 

22 program. 

23 (2) REPORT.—Not later than 270 days after the 

24 date on which the pilot program terminates, the 

25 Comptroller General shall submit to the committees 


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1 specified in paragraph (1) a report on the pilot pro2 gram. Such report shall include an evaluation of the 

3 approach and methodology used for the pilot program 

4 with respect to— 

5 (A) assisting veterans with PTSD; and 

6 (B) measuring relevant metrics, such as re7 duction in scores under the Clinician Adminis8 tered PTSD Scale (CAPS), improvement in psy9 chosocial function, and therapeutic compliance. 

10 (j) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

11 (1) The term ‘‘accredited service dog training or12 ganization’’ means an organization described in sec13 tion 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 

14 that— 

15 (A) provides service dogs to veterans with 

16 PTSD; and 

17 (B) is accredited by an accrediting organi18 zation with demonstrated experience, national 

19 scope, and recognized leadership and expertise in 

20 the training of service dogs and education in the 

21 use of service dogs (as determined by the Sec22 retary). 

23 (2) The term ‘‘eligible veteran’’ means a veteran 

24 who— 


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1 (A) is enrolled in the patient enrollment 

2 system in the Department of Veterans Affairs 

3 under section 1705 of title 38, United States 

4 Code; and 

5 (B) has been recommended for participation 

6 in the pilot program under subsection (a) by a 

7 qualified mental health care provider or clinical 

8 team based on medical judgment that the veteran 

9 may benefit from such participation with respect 

10 to the diagnosed PTSD of the veteran. 

11 (3) The term ‘‘service dog training instructor’’ 

12 means an instructor who provides the direct training 

13 of veterans with PTSD in the art and science of serv14 ice dog training and handling. 

15 SEC. 3. PROVISION OF SERVICE DOGS AND VETERINARY IN16 SURANCE BENEFITS TO VETERANS WITH 

17 POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER WHO DO 

18 NOT HAVE CERTAIN IMPAIRMENTS. 

19 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 1714 of title 38, United 

20 States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following 

21 new subsections: 

22 ‘‘(e) The Secretary may provide a service dog to a vet23 eran under subsection (c)(3) regardless of whether the vet24 eran has a mobility impairment. 


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1 ‘‘(f)(1) The Secretary shall provide to any veteran de2 scribed in paragraph (2) a commercially available veteri3 nary insurance policy for each dog provided to such veteran 

4 under subsection (b) or (c). 

5 ‘‘(2) A veteran described in this paragraph is a veteran 

6 who— 

7 ‘‘(A) is diagnosed with post-traumatic stress dis8 order or a visual, hearing, or substantial mobility im9 pairment; 

10 ‘‘(B) has received a dog under subsection (b) or 

11 (c) in connection with such disorder or impairment; 

12 and 

13 ‘‘(C) meets such other requirements as the Sec14 retary may prescribe.’’. 

15 (b) APPLICABILITY.—Section 1714(f) of title 38, 

16 United States Code, as added by subsection (a), shall apply 

17 with respect to a veteran provided a dog by the Secretary 

18 of Veterans Affairs regardless of whether the provision oc19 curs before, on, or after the date of the enactment of this 

20 Act. 


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Union Calendar No. 16 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1448 

[Report No. 117–31] 

A BILL 

To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to carry 

do not have mobility impairments. service dogs to veterans with mental illnesses who ize the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to provide to amend title 38, United States Code, to authorout a pilot program on dog training therapy, and 

MAY 12, 2021 

Reported with an amendment, committed to the Comand ordered to be printed mittee of the Whole House on the State of the Union, 


pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS