The men and women of the United States Military risk their lives to defend the liberties and freedoms guaranteed in the US Constitution. Shouldn't they be guaranteed everything they defend, especially those who have become disabled in their service?  This seems like a simple yes.  And yet, for the tens of thousands of service members who struggle with PTSD, the US Department of Veterans Affairs has consistently said NO.

The VA denies service animals as a valid treatment for PTSD, claiming that there isn't evidence-based support. Service animals for physically disabled veterans is recognized by the VA.

According to the ADA division of the US Department of Justice, "service animals are defined as dogs that are individually trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities. Examples of such work or tasks include guiding people who are blind, alerting people who are deaf, pulling a wheelchair, alerting and protecting a person who is having a seizure, reminding a person with mental illness to take prescribed medications, calming a person with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) during an anxiety attack, or performing other duties."

The FIRST big issue here is the fact that, by denying the validity of PTSD service animals, the VA is discriminating against veterans with PTSD.  

DHHS Section 504 regulation at 45 CFR Part 84, Subpart 1, Section 84.4, subsection b states : (1) A recipient, in providing any aid, benefit, or service, may not, directly or through contractual, licensing, or other arrangements, on the basis of handicap: (vii) otherwise limit a qualified handicapped person in the enjoyment of any right, privilege, advantage, or opportunity enjoyed by others receiving an aid, benefit, or service.

The Department of Veterans Affairs is a recipient of federal funds that is currently limiting a qualified handicapped person the opportunity enjoyed by others receiving an aid, benefit or service.  The Department of Veterans Affairs is in violation of Section 504, and the ADA, and therefore is violating the civil rights of the men and women who have fought to defend our nation, and have suffered the effects of PTSD. 

Regardless of pending legislation or in-progress studies, the VA must adopt the ADA definition of service animals as a matter of civil rights law.