AMVETS, Rep. Klein Push For Clear Service Dog Standards

Since AMVETS leaders and non-profit Paws With A Cause stormed Capitol Hill in April, informing legislators on the benefits of service dogs for wounded veterans, AMVETS has made considerable headway, pushing VA to codify its standards on prosthetic reimbursement for service animals. Now, the battle has shifted gears, to close a loophole discovered in the VA system that gives all veterans using "seeing eye dogs," or guide dogs, access to all medical facilities, but leaves leeway for each VA medical center director to decide whether or not other kinds of service animals are allowed to enter the facility.

Though many VA medical centers have extended access to all kinds of service dogs, some VA medical center directors continue to only allow guide dogs into their health care facilities because of the explicit guidelines for guide dogs in Title 38--the body of law governing VA. Thanks to this anomaly, many veterans who need service animals for other physical conditions are forced to leave their animals behind, should they wish to seek treatment at a VA medical center, only creating another hurdle to care.

Last week, with the help of AMVETS, Rep. Ron Klein (D-Fla.) sent a letter to VA Secretary Eric Shinseki, asking the secretary to close the loophole and finally publish guidelines for VA facilities mandating uniformed service dog access regulations that will mirror those already in place for veterans with guide dogs.

Shinseki's office replied the query quickly, noting that the department had commissioned a work group to address all categories of service animals in VA health care facilities to provide a proposed directive to VA leadership by the end of the 2010 calendar year.

AMVETS applauded VA's swift action on the issue in an effort to potentially close the ADA loophole once and for all.

American Veteran will continue to follow VA's progress in codifying service dog policies for VA health care facilities. Check back regularly for updates on this issue, and to read more about AMVETS' and Paws' work helping to secure prosthetic benefits for veterans using assistance animals, check out the latest issue of American Veteran magazine.

(Image: Congressman Klein's letter to Secretary Shinseki.)

This Week at American Veteran

After a very successful AMVETS National Convention and 2010 Symposium for 21st Century Veterans, American Veteran Online is back in action this week.

Through all of the work in Louisville, AMVETS managed to compile significant information about the ever-changing needs of today's veterans community, which will now be used to compile a final report to be published in October.

This week, American Veteran will also bring you reaction to two recent court rulings that rattled the veterans' community--the Missouri ruling striking down the state's ban on military funeral protests and the Colorado ruling striking down the Stolen Valor Act. AMVETS leaders have advocated for both the protection of grieving military families and the prosecution of phony veterans.

This week, we will also highlight recent efforts of AMVETS Legislative Department pressing VA to codify service dog guidelines for health care facilities nationwide. AMVETS National Deputy Legislative Director Christina Roof worked with the office of Congressman Ron Klein (D-Fla.) to draft a letter to VA Secretary Eric Shinseki, asking VA to close a loop hole that only allows "seeing eye dogs" on VA facilities. We will bring you updates as this story develops.

We will also discuss the latest issue of American Veteran magazine, which is now available online. The latest issue brings with it new digital features, such as RSS feeds and podcasts of the full text. We will highlight each of these new features, plus preview this summer's stories.

As always, we're eager to hear from you, our readers. We hope to continue highlighting the work of AMVETS posts and departments around the country, so please keep sending your submissions and post your comments.

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.)