Union Calendar No. 16
117th CONGRESS 1st Session |
[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.
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. Velázquez, 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. Barragán, 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. Miller-Meeks, 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, 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. Cárdenas, 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. Diaz-Balart, 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. 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 González-Colón, 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]
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.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
This Act may be cited as the “Puppies Assisting Wounded Servicemembers for Veterans Therapy Act” or the “PAWS for Veterans Therapy Act”.
SEC. 2. Department of Veterans Affairs pilot program on dog training therapy.
(a) In general.—Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of the Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall commence the conduct of a pilot program to provide canine training to eligible veterans diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (in this section referred to as “PTSD”) as an element of a complementary and integrative health program for such veterans.
(b) Duration; medical centers.—
(c) Agreements with entities.—In carrying out the pilot program under subsection (a), the Secretary shall seek to enter into agreements with nongovernmental entities that the Secretary determines have the demonstrated ability to provide the canine training specified in subsection (a).
(d) Required conditions.—The Secretary shall include in any agreement under subsection (c) conditions requiring that the nongovernmental entity seeking to enter into the agreement—
(1) submits to the Secretary certification that the entity is an accredited service dog training organization;
(2) agrees to ensure that veterans participating in the pilot program under subsection (a) receive training from certified service dog training instructors for a period of time determined appropriate by the entity;
(3) agrees to ensure that veterans participating in such pilot program are prohibited from having access to a dog under such pilot program at any time during such participation without the supervision of a certified service dog training instructor;
(4) agrees to ensure that veterans participating in such pilot program receive training in skills unique to the needs of the veteran to address or alleviate PTSD symptoms of the veteran;
(e) Adoption of dog.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—A veteran who has participated in the pilot program under subsection (a) may adopt a dog that the veteran assisted in training during such pilot program if the veteran and the veteran’s health provider (in consultation with the entity that provided the canine training with respect to the dog under such pilot program) determine that it is in the best interest of the veteran.
(2) FOLLOW-UP TRAINING SUPPORT.—If a veteran adopts a dog under paragraph (1), the entity that provided the canine training with respect to the dog under the pilot program shall provide follow-up training support for the life of the dog. Such support shall include the provision of a contact plan between the veteran and the entity that enables the veteran to seek and receive assistance from the entity to ensure the dog is being properly cared for.
(f) Eligibility for other care and treatment.—Participation in the pilot program under subsection (a) may not preclude a veteran from receiving any other medical care or treatment for PTSD furnished by the Department, including therapy, for which the veteran is otherwise eligible.
(g) Collection of data.—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 under subsection (a)—
(h) Report by secretary.—Not later than one year before the date on which the pilot program under subsection (a) terminates, the Secretary shall submit to the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs of the House of Representatives and the Senate a report containing the recommendations of the Secretary regarding—
(i) GAO briefing and study.—
(1) BRIEFING.—Not later than one year after the date of the commencement of the pilot program under subsection (a), the Comptroller General of the United States shall provide to the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs of the House of Representatives and the Senate a briefing on the methodology established for the pilot program.
(2) REPORT.—Not later than 270 days after the date on which the pilot program terminates, the Comptroller General shall submit to the committees specified in paragraph (1) a report on the pilot program. Such report shall include an evaluation of the approach and methodology used for the pilot program with respect to—
(j) Definitions.—In this section:
(1) The term “accredited service dog training organization” means an organization described in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 that—
SEC. 3. Provision of service dogs and veterinary insurance benefits to veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder who do not have certain impairments.
(a) In general.—Section 1714 of title 38, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new subsections:
“(e) The Secretary may provide a service dog to a veteran under subsection (c)(3) regardless of whether the veteran has a mobility impairment.
“(f) (1) The Secretary shall provide to any veteran described in paragraph (2) a commercially available veterinary insurance policy for each dog provided to such veteran under subsection (b) or (c).
Union Calendar No. 16 | |||||
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[Report No. 117–31] | |||||
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. | |||||
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 |