I 
114TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 4764 
To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to carry out a pilot program 
to provide service dogs to certain veterans with severe post-traumatic 
stress disorder. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MARCH 16, 2016 
Mr. DESANTIS (for himself, Mr. ROONEY of Florida, Mr. ROTHFUS, Ms. 
STEFANIK, Mr. NUGENT, Mr. WEBER of Texas, Mrs. ELLMERS of North 
Carolina, Mr. MEADOWS, Mr. BYRNE, Mr. BISHOP of Michigan, Mr. FLO-
RES, Ms. MCSALLY, Mr. JOLLY, Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia, Mr. SALMON, 
Ms. GABBARD, and Ms. SINEMA) introduced the following bill; which was 
referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 
A BILL 
To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to carry out 
a pilot program to provide service dogs to certain vet-
erans with severe post-traumatic stress disorder. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
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: 
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(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 soci-
etal 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 dis-
order, such as anxiety, including fear response and 
hyperarousal, interpersonal difficulties, social isola-
tion, 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 Af-
fairs, acting through the Office of Patient Centered Care 
and Cultural Transformation, shall carry out a pilot pro-
gram under which the Secretary shall provide to eligible 
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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 dis-
order and shall not replace established treatment modali-
ties. The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall furnish vet-
erinary 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 re-
main 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 im-
provement in post-traumatic stress disorder 
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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 pro-
curement and training of service dogs with appro-
priate providers that are certified by Assistance 
Dogs International or a similar organization that— 
(A) on average, provides one-on-one train-
ing 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 min-
imum 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 
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test prior to permanent placement with a recipi-
ent; and 
(D) provides follow-up support service for 
the life of the service canine. 
(2) LIMITATION.—The Secretary may not obli-
gate or expend more than $27,000 for the procure-
ment and training of any dog under a contract en-
tered 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-trau-
matic 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-trau-
matic stress disorder; and 
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(D) reducing the dependence of partici-
pants on prescription narcotics and psycho-
tropic medication; and 
(2) the recommendations of the Comptroller 
General with respect to the continuation or expan-
sion 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. 
Æ 
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