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Biden signs bill to provide dogs to assist war veterans

2021-08-26T12:56:40.709Z


Bipartisan law requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to provide service dogs for military veterans experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder. From 2005 to 2018, nearly 90,000 veterans committed suicide, according to official data.


By Dareh Gregorian - NBC News

President Joe Biden signed a pilot program Wednesday to connect veterans struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) with trained dogs.

The Puppies Assisting Wounded Servicemembers for Veterans Therapy Act (PAWS) requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to establish a five-year program to provide service and training dogs to veterans with PTSD.

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Democratic Rep. Mikie Sherrill, a Navy veteran and a co-sponsor of the bill, was at the White House for the signing.

He said in a tweet that similar programs have shown "great results" with veterans and that they want to give that access "to even more people."

He said the firm was "the culmination of years of hard work to strengthen services to address the mental and physical health of our veterans from so many people."

Rory Diamond, executive director of K9s For Warriors, a Florida nonprofit that provides service dogs to veterans, praised the White House for its support of the bill, which passed with overwhelming bipartisan support this year. .

Diamond said it was "a critical step in the fight against veteran suicide."

Michael Kidd and his service dog, Millie, try to avoid obstacles during training at the Paws of War office in Nesconset, New York, on June 10, 2019.Johannes Eisele / AFP via Getty Images

From 2005 to 2018, nearly 90,000 veterans committed suicide

, according to the most recent report from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

Up to 20 out of 100 veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts have PTSD, according to the VA.

The coronavirus pandemic has caused even more stress for veterans, with calls to the Veterans Crisis Line increasing by more than 15% last year.

Experts agree that PTSD is underrated.

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A report released last year by the VA revealed that participants specifically paired with service dogs trained to manage PTSD had fewer suicidal ideations and behaviors in the first 18 months compared to people with emotional support animals.

Source: telemundo

All news articles on 2021-08-26

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