There’s a new CNN video up today about an AMVETS and Paws With a Cause sponsored Capitol Hill visit of veterans and their service dogs last week that’s getting a lot of attention, and rightfully so.



Definitely watch the video, but the real key here is WHY they were visiting – concerns over both existing/pending legislation and the Department of Veterans Affairs’ response – and you really need to read the two AMVETS blog posts associated with the visit to understand that.

“AMVETS, Paws With A Cause Take the Hill”

“AMVETS, Paws With A Cause Take the Hill (Part 2)”

As explained in the first post:

AMVETS Deputy National Legislative Director Christina Roof and Paws With A Cause National Marketing Manager Deb Davis joined the veterans, helping to explain shortfalls in current policy toward assistance dogs and pushing to close loopholes and improve access for veterans who could benefit from new programs.

The post then describes some of the major concerns Assistance Dogs International accredited and member organizations have with both the legislation and the VA response (which, in spite of the impression that may have been created elsewhere, is still being worked on and has not been finalized):

- Statutes and policies must be clear to veterans and implemented throughout the VA system with a clear point of contact. The current language found in Title 38 of the U.S. Code is too vague, failing to identify what VA’s actual responsibilities should be.

- When drafting responsible assistance dog placement and training legislation for veterans, a standard must be established based on proven assistance dog industry standards and practices exemplified by Assistance Dogs International, or ADI, and the International Guide Dog Federation, or IGDF. The bills currently before Congress are too vague and misuse certain industry terms interchangeably, such as guide dog, service dog, therapy dog, and assistance dog, making policy nearly impossible to properly implement.

- Decisive action must be taken in the short term, since thousands of veterans could potentially benefit from any new program, and AMVETS and Paws With A Cause are happy to work with legislators to make this happen. Though VA may have concerns over cost, the return on investment from veterans who take advantage of assistance dogs would have far-reaching effects as veterans re-enter the work force and live up to their full potential.

I can tell you that volunteers and staff from Canine Companions for Independence and other ADI member organizations as well as other veterans organizations are actively working those issues and have been making visits to Congress, both formal and informal, for some time.

You normally don’t see much, if anything, in the news about those visits, though, so it’s very nice to see this kind of publicity, and kudos to AMVETS and PAWS for making that happen.

Bottom line, as I’ve been saying for a long time, is that it’s not enough to just say we’re for service dogs for veterans, we have to make that happen in the right way.