PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
Congressional Research Service
Version 00 · Introduced in Senate · May 3, 2017
Puppies Assisting Wounded Servicemembers Act of 2017 or the PAWS Act of 2017
This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to carry out a five-year pilot program under which it awards grants to eligible nonprofit organizations to provide service dogs to veterans who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder after completing other evidence-based treatment.
An organization that receives a grant shall provide for each participating service dog and veteran:
Showing the opening paragraphs of the official summary.
coverage by a commercially available veterinary health insurance policy,
hardware clinically determined to be required by the dog to perform the tasks necessary to assist the veteran,
payments for travel expenses to obtain the dog, and
travel expenses required to obtain a replacement service dog.
To be eligible for a grant, an organization must: (1) agree to cover all costs in excess of the grant amount to guarantee such benefits, (2) be certified by Assistance Dogs International, (3) provide one-on-one training for each service dog and recipient for 30 hours or more during a period of 90 days or more, and (4) provide an in-house residential facility or other accommodations nearby in which service dog recipients stay for a minimum of 10 days while receiving at least 30 hours of training.
The VA shall develop metrics to measure the improvement in psychosocial function and therapeutic compliance and changes independence on prescription narcotics and psychotropic medication of veterans participating in the program.
The Government Accountability Office must provide to Congress a briefing on the methodology established for, and a report on, the pilot program.
People & committees
Sen. Fischer, Deb [R-NE] · R–NE
Legislative record
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Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
Introduced in Senate
Primary sources
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Source last updated: Aug 11, 2025. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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