Title: PAWS Act of 2017
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
Puppies Assisting Wounded Servicemembers Act of 2017 or the PAWS Act of 2017
This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to carry out a five-year pilot program under which it awards grants to eligible nonprofit organizations to provide service dogs to veterans who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder after completing other evidence-based treatment.
An organization that receives a grant shall provide for each participating service dog and veteran:
To be eligible for a grant, an organization must: (1) agree to cover all costs in excess of the grant amount to guarantee such benefits, (2) be certified by Assistance Dogs International, (3) provide one-on-one training for each service dog and recipient for 30 hours or more during a period of 90 days or more, and (4) provide an in-house residential facility or other accommodations nearby in which service dog recipients stay for a minimum of 10 days while receiving at least 30 hours of training.
The VA shall develop metrics to measure the improvement in psychosocial function and therapeutic compliance and changes independence on prescription narcotics and psychotropic medication of veterans participating in the program.
The Government Accountability Office must provide to Congress a briefing on the methodology established for, and a report on, the pilot program.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1014 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

<DOC>






115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1014

To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to make grants to eligible 
  organizations to provide service dogs to veterans with severe post-
           traumatic stress disorder, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 3, 2017

  Mrs. Fischer (for herself and Mr. Booker) introduced the following 
 bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' 
                                Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to make grants to eligible 
  organizations to provide service dogs to veterans with severe post-
           traumatic stress disorder, and for other purposes.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Puppies Assisting Wounded 
Servicemembers Act of 2017'' or the ``PAWS Act of 2017''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS; SENSE OF CONGRESS.

    (a) Findings.--Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) According to the analysis of veteran suicide published 
        by the Department of Veterans Affairs in August 2016 and titled 
        ``Suicide Among Veterans and Other Americans''--
                    (A) an average of 20 veterans died by suicide each 
                day in 2014;
                    (B) mental health disorders, including major 
                depression and other mood disorders, have been 
                associated with increased risk for suicide;
                    (C) since 2001, the proportion of users of the 
                Veterans Health Administration with mental health 
                conditions or substance use disorders has increased 
                from approximately 27 percent in 2001 to more than 40 
                percent in 2014; and
                    (D) overall, suicide rates are highest among 
                patients with mental health and substance use disorder 
                diagnoses who are in treatment and lower among those 
                who received a mental health diagnosis but were not at 
                risk enough to require enhanced care from a mental 
                health provider.
            (2) Pairing a service dog with a veteran costs 
        approximately $25,000, including with respect to training of 
        the service dog as well as training of the veteran with the 
        service dog.
    (b) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that the 
Department of Veterans Affairs must be more effective in its approach 
to reducing the burden of veteran suicide connected to mental health 
disorders, including post-traumatic stress disorder, and a pilot 
program and study to assess the benefits of pairing service dogs with 
veterans suffering from mental health disorders would allow the 
Department to better determine the efficacy of using service dogs as a 
nontraditional therapy to ensure the well-being of veterans.

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

    (a) Grants.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall carry out a 
pilot program under which the Secretary awards a grant in the amount of 
$25,000 to eligible organizations for each eligible veteran referred to 
that organization for a service dog pairing.
    (b) Benefits Provided.--
            (1) In general.--An organization that receives a grant 
        under subsection (a) shall provide the following for each 
        service dog and veteran participating in the pilot program:
                    (A) Coverage of a commercially available veterinary 
                health insurance policy to maintain the health of the 
                dog and keep the dog functioning in the prescribed role 
                for the life of the dog.
                    (B) Hardware, or repairs or replacements for 
                hardware, that are clinically determined to be required 
                by the dog to perform the tasks necessary to assist the 
                veteran with the diagnosed disorder of the veteran.
                    (C) Payments for travel expenses for the veteran to 
                obtain the dog, calculated in the same manner as 
                similar travel expenses provided pursuant to section 
                111 of title 38, United States Code.
            (2) Other travel expenses.--If a veteran is required to 
        replace a service dog provided pursuant to a grant under this 
        section, the Secretary shall pay for the travel expenses 
        described in paragraph (1)(C) required to obtain a new service 
        dog pursuant to subsection (c)(3), regardless of any other 
        benefits the veteran is receiving for the first service dog 
        under this section.
    (c) Eligible Organizations.--To be eligible to receive a grant 
under this section, an organization shall--
            (1) be a nonprofit organization that provides trained 
        service dogs--
                    (A) that--
                            (i) is certified by Assistance Dogs 
                        International;
                            (ii) on average, provides one-on-one 
                        training for each service dog and recipient for 
                        30 hours or more during a period of 90 days or 
                        more;
                            (iii) provides a wellness verification from 
                        a licensed veterinarian for each service dog;
                            (iv) provides an in-house residential 
                        facility, or other accommodations nearby, in 
                        which service dog recipients stay for a minimum 
                        of 10 days while receiving not less than 30 
                        hours of training with their new service dog;
                            (v) ensures all service dogs pass the 
                        American Kennel Club Community Canine test and 
                        the Assistance Dogs International Public Access 
                        Test prior to permanent placement with a 
                        recipient; and
                            (vi) provides follow-up support service for 
                        the life of the service dog, to include a 
                        contact plan between the veteran and 
                        organization to allow--
                                    (I) the veteran to reach out for 
                                and receive adequate help with the 
                                service dog; and
                                    (II) the organization to 
                                communicate with the veteran to ensure 
                                that the service dog is receiving 
                                proper care; or
                    (B) that meets the service dog agency standards 
                established by the Association of Service Dog Providers 
                for Military Veterans that cater to the unique needs of 
                veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder;
            (2) agree to cover all costs in excess of the grant amount 
        to guarantee the benefits listed under subsection (b)(1);
            (3) agree to reaccept or replace a service dog provided by 
        the organization to a veteran, if necessary, as determined by 
        the veteran and the organization; and
            (4) submit to the Secretary an application containing such 
        information, certification, and assurances as the Secretary may 
        require.
    (d) Eligible Veterans.--
            (1) Approval and referral.--
                    (A) In general.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs 
                shall review and approve veterans eligible to 
                participate under this section and shall refer approved 
                veterans to eligible organizations.
                    (B) Approval determination.--The period beginning 
                on the date on which a veteran applies to participate 
                under this section and the date on which the Secretary 
                makes an approval determination may not exceed 90 days.
            (2) Initial eligibility.--For purposes of this section, an 
        eligible veteran is a veteran--
                    (A) who is enrolled in the system of annual patient 
                enrollment of the Department of Veterans Affairs 
                established and operated under section 1705 of title 
                38, United States Code;
                    (B) who has been treated and has completed an 
                established evidence-based treatment for post-traumatic 
                stress disorder yet remains diagnosed with post-
                traumatic stress disorder by a qualified health care 
                provider as rated on the post-traumatic stress disorder 
                checklist (PCL-5);
                    (C) with respect to whom the health care provider 
                or clinical team of the Department of Veterans Affairs 
                that is treating the veteran for such disorder 
                determines based upon medical judgment that the veteran 
                may potentially benefit from a service dog; and
                    (D) who agrees to successfully complete training 
                provided by an eligible organization pursuant to 
                subsection (c).
            (3) Ongoing eligibility.--To remain eligible to participate 
        in the pilot program under this section, a veteran shall see 
        the health care provider or clinical team of the Department of 
        Veterans Affairs treating the veteran for post-traumatic stress 
        disorder at least once every 180 days to determine, based on a 
        clinical evaluation of efficacy, whether the veteran continues 
        to benefit from a service dog.
            (4) Other cases.--If at any point the veteran is no longer 
        able or willing to care for the service dog, the veteran and 
        the organization that provided the service dog to the veteran 
        shall determine the appropriate recourse to ensure the safety 
        of both the veteran and the service dog.
    (e) Relationship to Department of Veterans Affairs Benefits.--The 
provision of a service dog to a veteran under this section is in 
addition to any other hospital care or medical service furnished by the 
Department for that veteran for post-traumatic stress disorder, and an 
improvement in symptoms as a result of the provision of a service dog 
shall not affect the eligibility of the veteran for any other benefit 
under the laws administered by the Secretary.
    (f) Metrics.--In carrying out this section, the Secretary shall--
            (1) develop metrics and other appropriate means to measure, 
        with respect to veterans participating in the pilot program, 
        the improvement in psychosocial function and therapeutic 
        compliance of such veterans and changes with respect to the 
        dependence on prescription narcotics and psychotropic 
        medication of such veterans; and
            (2) establish processes to document and track the progress 
        of such veterans under the pilot program in terms of the 
        benefits and improvements noted as a result of the pilot 
        program.
    (g) Comptroller General Briefing and Report.--
            (1) Briefing.--Not later than one year after the date on 
        which the Secretary commences the pilot program under 
        subsection (a), the Comptroller General of the United States 
        shall provide to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the 
        Senate and the Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the House of 
        Representatives a briefing on the methodology established for 
        the pilot program.
            (2) Report.--
                    (A) In general.--Not later than 270 days after the 
                date on which the pilot program terminates, the 
                Comptroller General shall submit to the Committee on 
                Veterans' Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on 
                Veterans' Affairs of the House of Representatives a 
                report on the pilot program.
                    (B) Elements.--The report required under 
                subparagraph (A) shall include an evaluation of the 
                approach and methodology used for the pilot program 
                with respect to--
                            (i) helping veterans with severe post-
                        traumatic stress disorder return to civilian 
                        life;
                            (ii) relevant metrics, such as reduction in 
                        scores under the post-traumatic stress disorder 
                        checklist (PCL-5), improvement in psychosocial 
                        function, and therapeutic compliance; and
                            (iii) reducing the dependence of 
                        participants in the pilot program on 
                        prescription narcotics and psychotropic 
                        medication.
    (h) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated for the period of fiscal year 2018 through fiscal year 
2023, $10,000,000 to carry out the pilot program under this section.
    (i) Offset.--The amounts otherwise authorized to be appropriated 
for the Office of Human Resources and Administration of the Department 
of Veterans Affairs for the period of fiscal year 2018 through fiscal 
year 2023 shall be reduced by $10,000,000.
    (j) Termination.--
            (1) In general.--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.
            (2) Possession of service dog.--An eligible veteran in 
        possession of a service dog furnished under the pilot program 
        as of the termination of the pilot program may keep the service 
        dog after the termination of the pilot program for the life of 
        the dog.
                                 <all>