According to a story published on Sept. 6 by NBC News, the Department of Veteran Affairs will not cover the costs of service dogs that are trained in aiding people with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The VA did not find evidence of therapeutic benefit to soldiers with PTSD, even though veterans have testified to the benefits of having a service dog.
The veteran says he is regaining his ability to get out of the house and do things — like go to the shopping mall — that he has avoided because of the anxiety and hyper vigilance that is common to combat-related PTSD. Zaragoza says he sleeps more, functions better in the day, and interacts with more with other people rather than choosing to isolate himself. He’s lost 15 pounds because he is more active.
That was progress he had not seen despite years of visiting VA psychiatrists and doctors who prescribed medications for his PTSD symptoms.
In this story by TIME Magazine in 2010, the VA was just beginning to look into the need of service dogs by veterans with PTSD. And even in 2010, it was still up in the air whether or not service dogs actually helped veterans with mental illness. The VA study will not be complete until 2014, four years after it began.
“I really believe the dogs can provide tremendous benefits,” says Minnesota Senator Al Franken, who authored a law ordering the VA to study dogs’ effects on PTSD sufferers. “The whole point of this is to measure in a scientifically valid way what the benefits are of service dogs to vets with psychological injuries and make a better life for these guys and women who have put everything on the line for us.”
New York Sen. Charles Schumer is already trying to overturn the new VA policy, which takes effect next month: “Sen. Schumer said research shows that trained service dogs are effective in helping veterans with mental and emotional disorders such as PTSD cope with their return to civilian life,” writes CBS New York. “Federal law currently states that the VA can reimburse vets for the cost of owning a service dog if a doctor signs off on it, but the new policy would limit that reimbursement only to vets with physical disabilities.”
One of the criticisms of the service dog program is the cost: custom-trained dogs can carry a $20,000 price tag after two years of training per dog. And because the degree of post-traumatic stress disorder varies anywhere from mild to severe, it can be a challenge to match the properly trained dog to the right soldier.
What do you think? Should the Department of Veterans Affairs cover the costs of service dogs to vets with PTSD?
Fatigue Duty 