Slotkin’s bipartisan bill will create a pilot program through the VA to help connect veterans with service dogs
WASHINGTON, D.C. –– Yesterday, the House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin's bipartisan Puppies Assisting Wounded Servicemembers (PAWS) for Veterans Therapy Act, a bill to help connect veterans with service dogs in their communities through a pilot program at the VA. The bill could benefit organizations like Livingston County's own Blue Star Service Dogs.
Today, Slotkin joined members of Congress from both sides of the aisle, as well as veteran advocacy groups, for a press conference highlighting the legislation and calling on the Senate to take it up. Watch the entire press conference HERE:
The PAWS for Veterans Therapy Act creates a pilot program within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to give veterans access to treatment derived from working with service dogs. It would create work-therapy programs where veterans learn about how to train service dogs and upon completion of the program, the veterans have the option to adopt the dogs they trained. The bill had more than 300 co-sponsors, including 197 Republicans in the House of Representatives, and now heads to the Senate for consideration.
An average of 20 American veterans die by suicide every day, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) impacts between 11 and 30 percent of veterans who served. Research conducted by Kaiser Permanente and Purdue University has shown that working with service dogs alleviates the symptoms of PTSD, leading to better interpersonal relationships, lower risk of substance abuse, and overall better mental health.
Original source can be found here.
