The Veterans Equal Treatment for Service Dogs Act (H.R. 1154), was approved as an amendment to another bill, which recently passed the House. This amendment will ensure that all veterans with disabilities who use service dogs are able to access VA facilities.

“This is an important legal clarification for every veteran who uses a service dog,” says John Carter, co-chairman of the House Army Caucus who introduced The Veterans Equal Treatment for Service Dogs Act. “When this becomes law, veterans will have the unquestioned right to use their medical service dog in VA facilities under the same rules as those acknowledged for seeing-eye dogs. This is already the practice in many facilities today through administrative policy, but this law permanently codifies those policies in all facilities.”

In the past, the only dogs fully-protected by law to enter all VA facilities were guide dogs, which are used by people with vision problems. The VA has left it up to each facility’s discretion whether or not to permit access to service dogs.

A few months ago, VetsFirst reported on one U.S. Army veteran’s frustration of being turned away from a VA facility because of his service dog. Kevin Stone was denied Inpatient Services at Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center in Augusta, Georgia and missed important medical appointments because officials said his dog Mambo presented too many risks to let in.

For many veterans like Stone, service dogs are critical to greater quality of life and independence. Service dogs are beneficial to veterans living with a variety of disabilities, including hearing loss, traumatic brain injury, seizures, and mobility issues. VetsFirst believes that exempting guide dogs but not service dogs from VA property will lead to unequal protection for veterans and all people with disabilities.

The advocacy efforts of Congressman Carter, VetsFirst, AMVETS and others, was instrumental in the VA releasing new directives this past Spring in an attempt to resolve access issues. Each VA medical center now has a service dog policy that veterans may request.

We would like to know what you think of the policies and if you are hearing of any problems. VetsFirst will continue to fight to ensure that access is not a problem for veterans.

Heather Ansley, Esq., MSW
Director Veterans Policy
VetsFirst, a program of United Spinal Association

Further Reading:

Service Dogs-A Veteran’s Best Friend

VetsFirst Joins Congressman John Carter to Introduce Veterans Equal Treatment for Service Dogs Act

The U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate have passed the Caregivers and Veterans Omnibus Health Services Act of 2010 (S. 1963), which includes critical supports for caregivers of veterans with disabilities. VetsFirst has advocated for the passage of this legislation and is hopeful the President will quickly sign the compromise bill.

As urged by VetsFirst, the legislation includes at least some supports for caregivers of veterans from all eras. Caregivers for eligible veterans of all eras will have access to education sessions, support services, counseling, mental health services and respite care. VetsFirst believes that providing these tools to caregivers will ensure that veterans receive quality supports and services in their homes and communities.

The legislation also provides certain caregivers of OEF/OIF veterans who have a serious injury, such as a traumatic brain injury, with a monthly stipend and access to medical care.

Veterans have the right to receive their services and supports in the least restrictive environment. Most people with disabilities want to live in their homes and have the opportunity to be a part of their communities. Although funding services for caregivers requires an upfront investment, the long-term gains that result from assisting veterans with disabilities in their efforts to reintegrate into their communities are significant.

In addition to the new caregiver benefits, the legislation also seeks to expand and improve care for women veterans who seek care through the VA. The legislation also improves access to mental health services and eliminates the ability of the VA to demand copayments from veterans who have catastrophic disabilities.

VetsFirst will continue to advocate for legislation that ensures that veterans from all eras, their families and dependents have access to vital services and supports.

When I became an individual with a physical disability in the late 1960s—a level C-6 quadriplegic as the result of a spinal cord injury—I was fortunate to go through an outstanding rehab program. By the time I left the VA Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) Center nearest my home, I was able to provide some of my personal care, dress myself, move safely from my wheelchair to my bed and vice versa, drive my car, etc.

I was pretty independent back then, but still from the day I was discharged from the SCI Center, I needed a trained caregiver for a couple of hours per day, three times each week.

When my job took me out of town, I simply planned ahead by hiring a nurse or a nursing assistant and renting any needed medical equipment from a company in the city to which I was traveling. No sweat. I did this all the time, including for some fun and much-needed vacations.

I was also very lucky to have found some excellent caregivers over the years. The first nursing assistant I hired was with me for six years, and he left my employ to take care of his ailing spouse. Three other health professionals worked with me for 10, 13 and 16 years respectively. They were all wonderful people who became my friends as well.

Today, I’m not as independent as I used to be, but I can still come and go as I please, and I stay out of my spouse’s hair by serving on three Boards of Directors, including VetsFirst. Mostly, I’m blessed with a terrific wife who believes, “you take care of the one you love.” My lovely spouse is my primary caregiver and she provides tender, loving care every single day.

All caregivers, however, need a break, and many need critical supports like counseling and respite care. To help caregivers, the U.S. House of Representatives has passed “The Caregiver Assistance and Resource Enhancement Act,” H.R. 3155, and the U.S. Senate has passed “The Caregivers and Veterans Omnibus Health Services Act,” S. 1963.

Both bills contain language that would provide critical supports for caregivers of our nation’s severely disabled veterans, yet both have undesirable limitations: the House bill provides stipends and medical care only for caregivers of Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom veterans, with the authority to provide those benefits sunseting on October 1, 2012; and the Senate bill, while providing a full range of benefits for primary caregivers, only makes them available for caregivers of seriously disabled veterans who entered military service on or after September 11, 2001.

The House and Senate must each pass a bill with the same language before caregivers can get the help they need. A compromise is pretty obvious to me: a full range of caregivers benefits must be available to the caregivers of all seriously disabled veterans of all wartime periods, and without any sunset provisions. Please write to your Congressional representative and both of your Senators today to advocate this outcome. The caregivers of seriously disabled veterans have earned these benefits as much as their loved ones.

However, an article by Carl Glassman entitled “Healing the Wounds of War Downtown” reveals some interesting perspectives from veterans of Iraq, Afghanistan and Vietnam on the services that are available from the VA’s 232 commmunity-based Vet Centers nationwide.

While I have been known to be critical of the VA, Vet Centers deserve a lot of credit when they’re getting accolades like these from veterans who’ve been there. Well done.

Note: In the interest of full disclosure, I am doing a graduate social work internship at the Manhattan Vet Center, but I had nothing to do with Mr. Glassman’s article or any of the veterans who are quoted therein.

Paul J. Tobin
President, VetsFirst

It was an involved case and you could tell that the vet had some misgivings about tapping into his VA benefits. The email ended with the Service Officer stating the following:

“Finally, NEVER feel guilty for applying for a benefit you are entitled to. You have EARNED every single benefit you are receiving and will receive in the future. You served this great country honorably and proudly during a period of war and in the warzone. NEVER feel guilty for sacrificing. Your service is deeply appreciated.”

I have known scores of veterans over the years who have felt the same way. These patriots would have served their country regardless of any promise or realization of benefits. Yet, there often comes a time when those who have served and sacrificed require their benefits. These have been earned and are in keeping with the covenant that we as Americans have made with those who have honorably served.

There should be no guilt or shame in pursuing or receiving earned benefits. The granting of benefits to a veteran is the act of a nation demonstrating its gratitude and a way of honoring our most deserving Americans.

For many veterans our flag has special meaning. Regardless of how far from home they served and what circumstances they found themselves in, our flag was there with them. It flew high and proud to encourage them and to reassure them that an entire nation was both grateful and supportive of them.

Show your love of country and fly our flag. It is an act of patriotism that shows the world that we are a people who are unified in spirit and commitment.

VetsFirst offers a free brochure on “How To Display Our Flag”. Please feel free to download a copy.
Click here to view/download the brochure.

“The service will be staffed by trained and experienced VetsFirst National Service Officers and para-legals that will handle cases/requests in a one to one fashion,” says Ziggi Landsman, United Spinal’s vice president of Assistive Technology and the Ask VetsFirst’s administrator. “United Spinal has recognized the need and the benefit for assisting veterans in an efficient and timelier method than has traditionally been utilized by veteran service organizations. The ability to assist large numbers of veterans quickly, and the universal availability of this service via the internet will be a great asset to those veterans seeking assistance.”

Leonard Selfon, Senior Vice President of VetsFirst explains the significant advantages veterans will receive from using the new service. “Ask VetsFirst will serve as a resource for education and outreach. It will serve as an internet destination to learn about available VA benefits and services, eligibility requirements and how the claims process works. There will be a selfserve component where visitors can search topics from knowledge books, fact sheets, forms and procedural guides. There will also be a feature that allows users to ask direct questions and receive answers from accredited service officers. The Web site will also provide news and information that affects veterans and service members, as well self-help guides.”

Ask VetsFirst can be accessed from the VetsFirst site at:
www.vetsfirst.org