AMVETS, Paws With A Cause Take the Hill (Part 2)

Yesterday, AMVETS and Paws With A Cause took to Capitol Hill for the second day of education and advocacy meetings with legislators discussing assistance dogs for wounded veterans.

Veterans Kevin Stone and Luis Montalvan, accompanied by AMVETS' Christina Roof and Paws With A Cause's Deb Davis, met with key veterans' advocates Reps. Ron Klein (D-Fla.), John Hall (D-N.Y.) , and John Carter (R-Texas). The group also had in-depth meetings with chief council for the minority staff on the House Committee on Veterans Affairs and the offices of Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.).

Much like day one, the group sought to explain the benefits of service dogs for wounded veterans in an effort to inspire Congress to pressure VA on clarifying programs already available and to continue moving on pending legislation. Two of the current bills before Congress were introduced by Klein and Hall, each of whom had deep personal knowledge of the issue and expressed a willingness to continue working toward viable federal programs.

Carter, a staunch veterans' advocate who helped to draft critical veterans' caregiver legislation, was eager to learn about assistance dogs and their potential benefits.

During the morning's meetings with Senate staff members, AMVETS and Paws With A Cause were able to explain the potential economic benefits of assistance dogs by demonstrating that increased independence for wounded veterans means fewer veterans remaining on Social Security Disability Insurance, with the ability to contribute to the American workforce.

AMVETS and Paws With A Cause walked away from Capitol Hill confident that they caught the attention of key legislators, but they also left with a renewed mission purpose.

"We have to keep the momentum," said Davis after the meetings. "I didn't know there would be so much support, but we need to bring back numbers and demonstrate the actual value."

Roof said AMVETS has legislative proposals that she plans to present to each member Paws With A Cause and AMVETS met with on Tuesday and Wednesday.

American Veteran will continue to follow this story, as AMVETS and Paws With A Cause push for responsible federal programs offering assistance dogs to wounded veterans.

(Photos: Top: Kevin Stone explains to Rep. Ron Klein how his assistance dog, Mambo, allowed him to successfully compete on the U.S. Paralympic team, winning bronze in Athens and setting American records in Beijing. Middle: Rep. John Hall gets acquainted with Mambo, as Stone and Luis Montalvan explain the benefits of their assistance dogs. Bottom: Montalvan explains to Rep. John Carter how his assistance dog, Tuesday, allowed him to refocus on his graduate studies at Columbia University. Photos by Ryan Gallucci.)

AMVETS, Paws With A Cause Take to Capitol Hill

This morning, AMVETS and partner non-profit Paws With A Cause took to Capitol Hill, advocating for assistance dogs for wounded veterans.

AMVETS Luis Montalvan, an Iraq veteran who now attends graduate school at Columbia University, and Kevin Stone, an Army Ranger who is now a medal-winning U.S. Paralympian, brought their service dogs, Tuesday and Mambo, around the halls of the U.S. Capitol and the Congressional office buildings for the first of a two-day education and advocacy blitz.

Montalvan and Stone credit their assistance dogs with helping them to not only lead normal lives, but to excel in areas where they otherwise may have not. Both veterans credit their dogs with providing critical day-to-day task support and emotional support, allowing each of them to focus on living their lives to the fullest.

In today's meetings, Stone coined the phrase "Motivational Prosthetics of Freedom," when discussing assistance dogs. Like any other prosthetic limb or device, Stone says assistance dogs fill the gap left by whatever disability a veteran may be experiencing, such as the tasks Stone was limited to accomplishing while confined to a wheelchair.

AMVETS Deputy National Legislative Director Christina Roof and Paws With A Cause National Marketing Manager Deb Davis joined the veterans, helping to explain shortfalls in current policy toward assistance dogs and pushing to close loopholes and improve access for veterans who could benefit from new programs.

The major points driving AMVETS' and Paws With A Cause's work over the next couple of days are:

- Statues and policies must be clear to veterans and implemented throughout the VA system with a clear point of contact. The current language found in Title 38 of the U.S. Code is too vague, failing to identify what VA's actual responsibilities should be.

-When drafting responsible assistance dog placement and training legislation for veterans, a standard must be established based on proven assistance dog industry standards and practices exemplified by Assistance Dogs International, or ADI, and the International Guide Dog Federation, or IGDF. The bills currently before Congress are too vague and misuse certain industry terms interchangeably, such as guide dog, service dog, therapy dog, and assistance dog, making policy nearly impossible to properly implement.

-Decisive action must be taken in the short term, since thousands of veterans could potentially benefit from any new program, and AMVETS and Paws With A Cause are happy to work with legislators to make this happen. Though VA may have concerns over cost, the return on investment from veterans who take advantage of assistance dogs would have far-reaching effects as veterans re-enter the work force and live up to their full potential.

Today, AMVETS and Paws With A Cause met with Sen. Kay Hagan (D-N.C.), House Veteran Affairs Committee Chairman Bob Filner (D-Calif.), staff from the office of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), and key staff from the House VA Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity.

CNN also followed AMVETS and Paws With A Cause later in the day, taking the time to speak with Hagan on the issue for a potential story on Montalvan, Stone and veterans' assistance dogs. American Veteran Online will keep you posted on details.

Tomorrow, AMVETS and Paws With A Cause will meet with Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz), Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.), Sen. Roland Burris (D-Ill.), the architects of pending legislation, Rep. Ron Klein (D-Fla.) and Rep. John Hall (D-N.Y.), Rep. John Carter (R-Texas), and key council for other relevant committees.

Check back tomorrow with American Veteran for more updates.

(Photos: Top: Kevin Stone speaks with Sen. Kay Hagan, while a CNN photojournalist composes his shot. Bottom: Luis Montalvan rewards Tuesday for his good behavior on Speaker Pelosi's balcony on the U.S. Capitol. Photos by Ryan Gallucci.)