Political Quotes

“Today I'm offering an amendment with my colleague, Congressman LoBiondo, to support veterans with PTSD and traumatic brain injury, or TBI. This amendment designates $4.5 million within the peer-reviewed Psychological Health/Traumatic Brain Injury Research account for a 3- year study to evaluate the therapeutic service dog training program currently operating at the National Intrepid Center of Excellence and Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. This innovative servicemember dog-training program is designed to a safe, effective, nondrug intervention to treat the symptoms of PTSD and TBI. Servicemembers report improvement in their PTSD or TBI symptoms when participating in a therapeutic service dog training program. The servicemen and -women involved in this program report a number of positive results, including lower levels of depression, improved self- control, improved sleep patterns, a greater sense of purpose, better integration into their communities, pain reduction, and improved parenting skills. This year's NDAA House report directed the Secretary of Defense to conduct whatever studies are necessary to evaluate this promising program. This amendment provides the resources for such a study. There is now considerable anecdotal evidence that training service dogs reduces the PTSD symptoms of their warrior trainers, and that the presence of the dogs increases the sense of wellness in servicemembers and their families.…”