The United
States is set to pass a new bill that will allow military veterans diagnosed
with PTSD to be accompanied by service dogs. The Congress has already passed the
bipartisan bill PAWS – Puppies Assisting Wounded Servicemembers – with President
Joe Biden expected to sign it soon.

After the bill
is signed, the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) will collaborate with organisations
like Florida-based non-profit K9s for Warriors to provides service dogs to
veterans, NBC reported. The channel quoted Rory Diamond, CEO of K9s for Warriors,
saying that the five-year programme will take effect from January 1, 2022.

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“We’re
encouraged by the passage of this bill by both houses of Congress as an
integral first step in the fight against veteran suicide,” Diamond said.

Diamond said that 72% of the over 700 veterans that have gone through the K9s for
Warriors programme had attempted suicide before meeting their service dogs. “We’re
incredibly good at keeping them alive. So why wouldn’t the VA want to be part
of that?” Diamond said.

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The bill
comes at a time which has been testing for veterans, with data from the VA suggesting
as many as a fifth of the veterans that have returned from Iran and Afghanistan
have PTSD. Coming to terms with America’s withdrawal from Afghanistan, and watching
the Taliban take over the country since, has further complicated mental health
issues for the veterans.

Service
dogs specifically trained to help veterans have been proven to be very
effective at countering PTSD issues. They are taught to recognise
symptoms of anxiety and can force veterans to focus on them instead of spiraling into
a panic attack, according to a report in The Hill.

Training
the dogs for such tasks requires weeks-long processes that can cost over
$25,000, which the VA will cover once Biden clears the bill.