With many of our nation's veterans who have Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), therapy and support come in many forms, such as service dogs. Senator Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ) has cosponsored the reintroduction of a bipartisan bill supporting nonprofits that provide such animals to eligible veterans.
The Service Dogs Assisting Veterans (SAVES) Act was initially introduced last year by Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC) with fellow Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), and Martin Heinrich (D-NM). It would provide grants to accredited organizations that offer service dogs through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) as long as the organization meets set training, care, and publicization standards.
"The SAVES Act will allow more veterans who are struggling with the invisible wounds of war to receive service dogs that could ultimately save their lives. We must repay the debt to the men and women who served our country; I hope Congress quickly passes this legislation to provide them with his important resource," Sen. Tillis said in his original press release introducing the bill last year.
Sen. Sinema has cosponsored the reintroduced version of the bill, saying, "Supporting our veterans is personal to me. Our bipartisan legislation expands access to service dogs for veterans who have sacrificed so much to keep our country safe and secure."
As noted in her press release, a 2024 study conducted by the University of Arizona and the service dog program k9s For Warriors suggested veterans who were provided service dogs were 66% less likely to be diagnosed with PTSD, experienced lower levels of anxiety and depression, and improvements in emotional and social wellbeing.
This is not the first time Sen. Sinema has introduced or cosponsored legislation focusing on mental health. She also cosponsored Sen. Tillis's 2021 PAWS for Veterans Therapy Act, which similarly required the VA to develop a five-year pilot program in which veterans assist in training service dogs.
More recently, the Arizona Senator introduced a bill at the beginning of April expanding mental health care and services in schools named the CARE for Student Mental Health Act, aimed to address the worryingly high levels of anxiety, depression, and even suicidal ideation among schoolchildren and college students in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
