Va Service Dogs For Depression

All the dogs are trained according to american humane s new service dog standards an approach developed by a scientific advisory committee of scientists veteran experts mental health professionals.

Va service dogs for depression. Va does not pay for the dog or for boarding grooming food or other routine expense associated with owning a dog. The va veterinary service benefit includes comprehensive wellness and sick care annual visits for preventive care maintenance care immunizations dental cleanings screenings etc urgent emergent care prescription medications and care for illnesses or disorders when treatment enables the dog to perform its duties in service to the veteran. Va does provide veterinary care for service dogs that are deemed medically necessary for the rehabilitation or restorative care plan of veterans with permanent physical impairments. When trained correctly for service work dogs can truly improve people s physical and mental well being and even save lives a well trained service dog can help struggling people achieve independence and success.

Additional information about va s veterinary. Va will recognize for the purpose of paying benefits the following service dogs. The dog and veteran must have successfully completed a training program offered by an organization accredited by assistance dogs international or the international guide dog federation or both for dogs that. We serve clients residing in the commonwealth of virginia and are based in charlottesville virginia.

If research supports the use of service dogs for ptsd va will provide veterinary care for such dogs. Our goal is to provide peace of mind to everyone in the family not just the individual coping with a stress disorder. Veterans with working service dogs are provided veterinary care and equipment through va prosthetics and sensory aids service. A service dog can do something as small as build confidence for their owner and as big as alert them to an upcoming seizure.

Highly trained dogs perform a multitude of tasks that allow greater personal freedom and independence. The department of veterans affairs requires all those who receive medical services through the va including service dogs to register with the va health administration enrollment section of any va medical center or online. Service dogs of virginia is a 501 c 3 non profit organization that raises trains and places dogs to assist people with disabilities. Our pups4patriots program rescues qualified shelter dogs and trains them to offer the best possible assistance to veterans with post traumatic stress pts and traumatic brain injury tbi.

Our ptsd service dogs have a wide variety of abilities that could benefit you.