Congressman Asks VA Secretary To Allow Service Dogs In All VA Facilities
The latest from my friend Christina Roof at AMVETS in the ongoing attempt to get service dogs approved in all VA facilities – a letter from Rep Ron Klein of Florida asking Secretary Shinseki to change the regulations to reflect this. (Click on the images for larger, more readable versions.)
Some of you are already aware of this, but individual VA facilities control their own access, and VA has said they cannot order them to allow service dogs because they don’t have regulatory authority to do that. This has resulted in the ultimate irony in some cases – a veteran has his service dog approved by the VA, but is then unable to take the dog into the VA medical facility where he receives care.
“VHA’s Guide And Service Dog Program Could Not Ensure That All Qualified Veterans Received The Opportunity To Benefit From Service Dogs”
That quote is from this audit report published a few days ago by the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of the Inspector General, a report that confirms what many, including me, have been saying for years.
“Audit of Guide and Service Dog Program”
If you’re not aware of the long history on this subject, see these previous posts, the first of which I wrote 15 months ago after I’d already held off writing it for over a year:
Look – And Closely – For Assistance Dogs International Accreditation
Great time for a reminder about this with the annual Assistance Dogs International conference taking place in Toronto next week.
Said it before, say it again: first thing you need to look for with a service dog organization is if they are ADI accredited, which you can find here: ADI Accredited Members
And don’t go by the ADI logo on their website, either, because that can be misleading. Like this one on a heavily promoted place’s site:
Note that it says Full Member underneath it – it’s nice that they at least joined, but, sorry, that’s very definitely NOT the same as being an Accredited Member.
Veterans With Service Dogs Are Now Eligible For VA Benefits, But May Need To Reapply
NOTE: I previously incorrectly referred to the VA payments as a monthly stipend. I’ve made those corrections here and on other posts as well. There’s enough misinformation on the subject of service dogs out there already without me adding to it – my apologies.
My friend Christina Roof at AMVETS just posted a reminder about this a few days ago, which reminded ME that I shoulda put this up when it first happened in April, and didn’t (no good reason).
Veterans with service dogs are now eligible for the same VA benefits that veterans with guide dogs have been receiving for years.
About Me
I'm very active with Canine Companions for Independence as a former member of the Veterans Task Force and puppy raiser. Retired US Air Force Chief Master Sergeant with my last assignments at the Air Force Academy as the Fourth Group Sergeant Major and Dean of Faculty Superintendent.
I'm actively looking for a paid position doing what I already do full-time as a volunteer.
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