John Kerry: “today, I am introducing the Senior Airman Michael Malarsie Act to increase the number of assistance dogs available to…”

“today, I am introducing the Senior Airman Michael Malarsie Act to increase the number of assistance dogs available to disabled servicemembers and veterans. I met Senior Airman Malarsie earlier this year, and his story and perseverance have inspired this legislation. In 2008, during a deployment to Afghanistan, Senior Airman Malarsie was seriously injured and blinded by an improvised explosive device. Blinded in both eyes, Senior Airman Malarsie was placed on a waiting list for several months before he was paired with his guide dog, Xxon. Only through generous donations totaling $45,000, Senior Airman Malarsie was able to receive a guide dog. Unfortunately, too often our wounded warriors must wait several months before receiving assistance dogs. According to Assistance Dogs International, last year there was a backlog of 188 veterans waiting for placement. I strongly believe we must do more so that they do not wait months for a trained assistance dog. The bill will create a joint grant program between the Department of Defense and Department of Veterans Affairs to assist qualified assistance dog agencies provide trained dogs to covered servicemembers and veterans. The competitive grant program would be used for dogs that assist with specific disabilities such as hearing loss, mobility loss, visual impairment, and post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury.…”