The Puppies Assisting Wounded Servicemembers for Veterans Therapy Act establishes a pilot program to partner veterans suffering from PTSD with service dogs. (Photo: Martin Castro)
On March 30, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs announced that the VA Medical Center in Palo Alto, California will be one of five locations used to pilot a program that will connect veterans suffering from PTSD with canine training for service dogs as a treatment method.
The five-year program was established by the Puppies Assisting Wounded Servicemembers for Veterans Therapy, or PAWS Act, and will evaluate the effectiveness of pairing veterans with service dogs as well as creating relevant guidelines should the pilot prove successful.
The bill was signed into law last August.
Clinicians at the Palo Alto center and other VA sites will determine individual eligibility requirements; however, three broad requirements have been outlined by the VA: participants must be enrolled in the VA health care system, been diagnosed with PTSD, and recommended by either a VA mental health provider or clinical team.
Commenting on the program, VA Secretary Denis McDonough notes, “there are many effective treatments for PTSD and we’re looking at service dog training as an adjunct to those options to ensure Veterans have access to resources that may improve their well-being and help them thrive.”
A launch date for the program has not been announced but is expected sometime this year. The other four locations that will pilot the program include:
- Anchorage, Alaska
- Asheville, N.C.
- San Antonio, Texas
- West Palm Beach, Fla.
Readers can view the entire program outline on the Federal Register.
Author: Christian Southards
Coming from a family with a proud military background and wanting to contribute his writing skills to a worthy cause, Christian began writing for the California American Legion in August of 2020. His father is a 25-year Army Veteran and his grandfather served in the Navy during Vietnam.
