NewsFlash | Service Dogs

Service Dogs

Service Dogs — Service dogs are guide or service dogs prescribed for a disabled Veteran for the purpose of the Veteran being diagnosed as having a visual, hearing, or substantial mobility impairment. VA’s authority for Service Dogs (guide, hearing, seizure, and mobility dogs) is in 38 CFR 17.148 - Service Dogs. VA provides a veterinary health insurance benefit and other benefits in support of service dogs to maximize the life and utility of these specialized dogs. In order to qualify the dog must be trained and from an Assistance Dogs International (ADI) or International Guide Dog Federation (IGDF) accredited service dog organization. This ensures Veterans receive the highest level of quality and training standards. The veteran must provide to VA a certificate showing successful completion issued by the accredited organization that provided such program. VA does not provide Service Dogs but does provide this insurance benefit for eligible Veterans through VHA Prosthetic and Sensory Aids Service which administers this program. To apply, Veterans may contact their clinician or facility Prosthetic & Sensory Aids Service department. Each Veteran's case is reviewed and evaluated by a prescribing clinician for the following:

• Means to care for the dog currently and in the future.
• Goals that are accomplished through the use of the dog.
• Goals that are to be accomplished through other assistive technology or therapy.

38 CFR 1.218 Security and law enforcement at VA facilities. Dogs and other animals. Dogs and other animals, except seeing-eye dogs, shall not be brought upon property except as authorized by the head of the facility or designee. For information on managing access to VA property of service dogs and non-service animals, see VHA Directive 1188(1), Animals on Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Property, dated August 26, 2015. AUTHORITY: 38 U.S.C. §§ 901, 7301(b), 38 C.F.R. § 1.218(a)(11)(ix)(C), (D) and (E). A service animal means any dog that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability, including a physical, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual, or other mental disability. Other species of animals, whether wild or domestic, trained or untrained, are not service animals for the purposes of this definition. The work or tasks performed by a service animal must be directly related to the individual’s disability. The crime deterrent effects of an animal’s presence and the provision of emotional support, well-being, comfort, or companionship do not constitute work or tasks for the purposes of this definition. Service dogs in training are not considered service animals. This definition applies regardless of whether VA is providing benefits to support a service dog under 38 CFR 17.148.

Americans with Disabilities Act — Service animals are defined as dogs that are individually trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities. Service animals are working animals, not pets. Examples of such work or tasks include guiding people who are blind, alerting people who are deaf, pulling a wheelchair, alerting and protecting a person who is having a seizure, reminding a person with mental illness to take prescribed medications, calming a person with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) during an anxiety attack, or performing other duties. The work or task a dog has been trained to provide must be directly related to the person’s disability. Dogs whose sole function is to provide comfort or emotional support do not qualify as service animals under the ADA.

Assistance Dogs International (ADI) — ADI is a worldwide coalition of not-for-profit programs that train and place Assistance Dogs. ADI is a coalition of non-profit organizations that raise, train and place assistance dogs. ADI does not directly provide, train, certify or register individual assistance dogs or assistance dog teams, as that is the function of our member organizations. ADI certification is only available to assistance dog partnered teams that were trained by our accredited member programs. Assistance Dogs is a generic term for a guide, hearing, or service dog specifically trained to do three or more tasks to mitigate the effects of an individual’s disability. The presence of a dog for protection, personal defense, or comfort does not qualify that dog as an assistance dog. ADI does not recognize emotional support dogs. Most ADI accredited programs do not train, place or certify emotional support dogs.

ADI Accredited Members in VISN 20 — Accredited members are programs that have met the high standards set by ADI.

Alaska 

PAWS for Purple Hearts — Paws for Purple Hearts is the first program of its kind to offer Canine Assisted Warrior Therapy, also known as Canine Assisted Therapeutic Intervention, to Service-Connected Disabled Veterans and active-duty military personnel.

Washington

Brigadoon Service Dogs — Brigadoon Service Dogs Canines and Heroes for Independence program provides for Service-Connected Disabled Veterans who suffer from PTSD and TBI. Tactile stimulation can be very calming in stressful situations. In addition, the dog can be trained to nudge his partner to “snap” the Veteran out of a frozen moment caused by anxiety, or wake him up from a nightmare or night terrors by turning on a light. In public situations, the Veteran can give a cue for the dog to stand between himself and other people to reduce his anxiety.

Summit Assistance Dogs — Summit Assistance Dogs has become one of the leading providers of assistance dogs in Washington State, and the need for our services continues to grow as more and more people recognize the benefits of these life-changing partnerships. Summit trains mobility assistance dogs to help people with various mobility challenges by retrieving dropped items, turning lights on and off, opening doors, tugging off clothing, and many other tasks to assist with the activities of daily living, increasing safety and independence, and providing companionship.

Assistance Dogs Northwest — Assistance Dogs Northwest are committed to serving people in Washington, Oregon and Idaho with other special needs through our Facility Dog and Community Outreach Programs. Assistance Dogs Northwest’s Therapy Dog Teams visit Service-Connected Disabled Veterans with physical disabilities, amputations and PTSD at local agencies around the state. These teams are proud to serve the men and women who bravely serve our country.

Oregon 

PAWS Assisting Veterans Inc. — Service dogs provide immense support for Service-Connected Disabled Veterans to improve their quality of life. Our purpose at PAVE is to help more Veterans access the benefits of service dogs. By offering customized training and lifetime support, we make a tangible and significant difference in the lives of Veterans. If you’re a Service-Connected Disabled Veteran who is ready to regain your independence, contact us today to learn more.

Joys of Living Assistance Dogs — Providing skilled, devoted companions to support and assist Veterans, first responders, and others with disabilities, creating cohesive teams focused on building a life of greater freedom and independence. 

International Guide Dog Federation (IGDF) — The IGDF is comprised of 95 member organizations, whose purpose is to serve people who are blind or have low vision around the world, by training and providing Guide Dogs. A guide dog is a dog which has been specially trained to help people who are blind or visually impaired with their mobility. Assistance dog is a general term, which includes guide dogs, for any dog which has been specially trained to help a person with a disability to perform specific tasks. Guide dogs make an enormous difference to the lives of blind and visually impaired people. Not only do they bring the gift of independence, they also bring support, companionship and joy to people.

Puppies Assisting Wounded Servicemembers (PAWS) to Pilot in VISN 20 at VA Medical Center in Anchorage Alaska — VA is implementing a five-year pilot program to provide canine training to eligible Veterans diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) as an element of a complementary and integrative health program at 5 VA facilities including Anchorage, AK. Veterans are assisting in training candidate service dogs in canine obedience and needed specialized training. Certified dog trainers are leading these groups and most of the dogs being trained will become service dogs for fellow Veterans.

To participate in the pilot program, a Veteran must meet three threshold conditions for eligibility; namely, the Veteran must be:

1. Enrolled in the VA health care system;
2. Diagnosed with PTSD; and
3. Recommended by a VA mental health care provider or VA clinical team.

The PAWS pilot does not involve distributing service dogs. In this pilot, Veterans assist in training candidate service dogs in 8, weekly classes. Data gathered during the PAWS Pilot will be used to assess Veteran outcomes including satisfaction to determine whether to extend or make permanent the pilot program. Additional VA Medical Centers of the PAWS Act pilot program are located in West Palm Beach, Florida; San Antonio, Texas; Asheville, North Carolina; and Palo Alto, California.

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Use of these Materials and Finding VA Health Care

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Today's VHA - the largest of the three administrations that comprise the VA - continues to meet Veterans' changing medical, surgical, and quality-of-life needs. VHA is the largest integrated health care system in the United States, providing care at 1,321 health care facilities, including 172 VA Medical Centers and 1,138 outpatient sites of care of varying complexity (VHA outpatient clinics) to over 9 million Veterans enrolled in the VA health care program. There are 18 Veterans Integrated Service Networks (VISNs) in VHA operating as regional systems of care to better meet local health care needs and provides greater access to care. In the Pacific Northwest, VISN 20 serves Veterans in Alaska, Oregon, Washington, most of Idaho, and one county each in California and Montana. Spanning 23% of the US land mass, VISN 20 is the largest geographic region of VA. Operating across three time zones over 817,417 square miles, VISN 20 is home to 273 federally recognized American Indian and Alaskan Native tribes. According to DoD, American Indians and Alaska Natives have one of the highest representations in the United States Armed Forces. VA consults with American Indian and Alaska Native tribal governments to develop partnerships that enhance access to services and benefits by Veterans and their families. VA is committed to ensuring that Native American Veterans and their families are able to utilize all benefits and services they are entitled to receive. As of the end of FY2023, 42.2% of VISN 20 enrollees and 39.7% of VISN 20 patients resided in rural or highly rural areas. Veterans may be eligible to receive care from a community provider when VA cannot provide the care needed. Veterans Community Care Program (VCCP) provides health care for Veterans from providers in the local community. VCCP includes General Community Care, Urgent Care, Emergency Care, Foreign Medical Care, Home Health and Hospice Care, Indian and Tribal Health Services, In Vitro Fertilization, State Veterans Home, and Flu Shots.

Browse facilities by state

VA Puget Sound Health Care System (VAPSHCS) serves Veterans from a five-state area in the Pacific Northwest with two main divisions: American Lake VA Medical Center and Seattle VA Medical Center. Veterans Medical Centers are also located in Spokane, Vancouver, and Walla Walla. VA Outpatient Clinics and Vet Centers are located in Bellingham, Bellevue, Bremerton, Chehalis, Edmunds, Everett, Federal Way, Lacey, Mount Vernon, Olympia, Port Angeles, Puyallup, Richland, Renton, Silverdale, Seattle, Spokane, Union Gap, Vancouver, Walla Walla, Wenatchee, and Yakima.

VA Portland Health Care System (VAPORHCS) serves Veterans in Oregon and Southwest Washington with two main divisions: Portland VA Medical Center and Vancouver VA Medical Center. Veterans Medical Centers are also located in Roseburg, White City, and Vancouver, Washington. VA Outpatient Clinics and Vet Centers are located in Astoria, Bend, Boardman, Brookings, Enterprise, Eugene, Fairview, Grants Pass, Hines, Hillsboro, Klamath Falls, LaGrande, Lincoln City, Newport, Portland, Salem, The Dalles, and West Linn.

VA Regional Offices

The Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) helps service members transition out of military service, and assists with Veterans with education, home loans, life insurance and much more. Service members, Veterans, their families, and Survivors are invited to request information on VA Benefits including disability compensation, pension, fiduciary, education, Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR&E), Home Loans, and Insurance. In addition to information on VA Benefits Veterans may initiate an intent to file and request assistance with filing compensation and pension claims. Visit regional office websites to learn about the services the regional office provides, directions to the facility, hours of operation, and the leadership team that serves the regional office.

Find out if you can get VA health care as a Veteran

The following four categories of Veterans are not required to enroll but are urged to do so to permit better planning of health resources:

1. Veterans with a service-connected (SC) disability rated at 50% or more.
2. Veterans seeking care for a disability the military determined was incurred or aggravated in the line of duty, but which VA has not yet rated, within 12 months of discharge.
3. Veterans seeking care for a SC disability only or under a special treatment authority.
4. Veterans seeking registry examinations (ionizing radiation, Agent Orange, Gulf War/Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation New Dawn (OEF/OIF/OND) depleted uranium, airborne hazards, and Open Burn Pit Registry).

Find out how to apply for VA health care benefits as a Veteran or service member. For other mental health services, contact a VA medical center for information on eligibility and treatment options.

Vet Centers in VISN 20

Vet Centers in the VISN 20 Health Care Network are community-based counseling centers that provide a wide range of social and psychological services, including professional readjustment counseling to eligible Veterans, active-duty Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, Air Force, and Space Force service members, including National Guard and Reserve components, and their families. 1-877-WAR-VETS is an around the clock confidential call center where Veterans, service members and their families can talk about their military experience or any other issue they are facing in transitioning after military service or trauma and get connected to their nearest Vet Center.

Plan your trip to VA

In 1946, Veterans Canteen Service (VCS) was established by law to provide comfort and well-being to America’s Veterans. With our many retail stores, cafés and coffee shops across the country, we serve those who have served our country. We are a self-sustaining entity providing merchandise and services to Veterans enrolled in VA’s healthcare system, their families, caregivers, VA employees, volunteers and visitors. We are honored to give back to the VA community through many programs established for the health and well-being of our nation’s heroes. Revenues generated from VCS are used to support a variety of programs, such as VA’s Rehabilitation Games, Fisher Houses, Poly-Trauma Centers for OIF/OEF/OND Veterans, disaster relief efforts, Substance Abuse Cessation, VA’s Homelessness initiatives, Women Veterans, Veteran Suicide Prevention and other activities.

Hospital Service Directory

To find out whether there is a van near you use the Disabled American Veterans (DAV) Hospital Service Coordinator Directory to contact your nearest HSC for information or assistance. Please remember that the DAV Transportation Network is staffed by volunteers; therefore, it is unable to cover every community.