Nocatee, Ponte Vedra Beach — The Secretary of Veterans Affairs is launching a five-year pilot program to train service dogs and pair them with veterans suffering from PTSD because of legislation known as The PAWS act - Puppies Assisting Wounded Service members for Veterans Therapy Act.
President Biden signed the bill into law in late August.
Rory Diamond, CEO of Jacksonville’s K9s For Warriors, co-sponsored the legislation he describes as years in the making. While the VA paid for service dogs for veterans with physical and mobility issues, they refused to do the same for veterans suffering from PTSD.
“We spent five years trying to convince the VA to help us and they fought us for five years straight,” Diamond said.
According to Diamond, the VA refused to believe the stack of science proving the benefits of a service dog for a warrior struggling with mental anxieties. So the VA completed its own study - one that cost $12 million over the course of eight years. Upon completion of the second study - the first one fell apart - the VA admitted that service dogs help veterans with PTSD.
“Something,” Diamond said, “everybody already knew.”
Diamond made clear that while the PAWS act is a step in the right direction, it’s a small one within the overall picture. The law does not yet establish eligibility for veterans to receive a service dog under their VA benefits. The team will now lobby to fund for veterans and organizations K9s For Warriors who survive on private funding. Not a single dime from the PAWS Act will go to K9s For Warriors.
“This is PAWS Act 1.0,” Diamond said. “This legislation opens the door for the VA to be part of the solution. We’re going to introduce PAWS Act 2.0. This will make it easier for a warrior to get a service dog and easier for organizations like ours to get it funding.”
The $10 million, five-year pilot program that will take effect on Jan. 1, received overwhelming bi-partisan support.
“It was excellent to finally get this ball over the finish line,” continued Diamond. “It’s just one step in a long journey but it was amazing. I’m proud of our team for being a critical piece in changing national policy.”
Founded in 2011, the Ponte Vedra-based organization has paired nearly 700 military veterans suffering from PTSD, traumatic brain injury and military sexual trauma with service dogs raised by volunteers and/or rescued from high-kill shelters. The organization describes the bond formed between veteran and dog as “unwavering in its collective healing and recovery.”
Diamond also spoke of the increased anxiety caused by the images coming in from Afghanistan. Despondency, depression and survivor’s guilt has led more veterans to seek assistance. To date, there is a four-year waiting list with 1000 applications in the queue for a service dog.
“Everyone working with vets is dealing with a spike in demand of services because of what they’re seeing on TV,” he said. “We’re rushing to fill the gap but it’s a national problem. We’re doing everything we can to expand as fast as we can.”
The organization’s four primary business operation facilities include its National Headquarters and Campus for K9 Operations at Ponte Vedra; the Petco Love K9 Center in San Antonio, Texas; and Gold Family Campus in Alachua. A mega kennel is also in the planning for March, 2022 south of their Nocatee campus that will house more dogs and trainers and will include a school for teaching trainers how to train dogs for service.
“Making service dogs more accessible to veterans will ultimately empower our nation’s heroes to successfully reintegrate into civilian life,” concluded Diamond.