Citation

Reed JB. NCSL Legisbrief 2015; 23(47): 1-2.

Affiliation

NCSL--Denver.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2015, U.S. National Conference of State Legislatures)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

27032124

Abstract

U.S. service members returning home from combat often face physical, mental and emotional challenges. Providing service dogs to these veterans is one method being used successfully to help address the difficulties they face. Under the federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), a service animal is defined as "any dog that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability, including a physical, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual or other mental disability." The work the dog undertakes must be directly related to the person's disability. Examples include guiding people who are blind, pulling a wheelchair, alerting a person with hearing loss, protecting a person having a seizure, and calming someone with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) during an anxiety attack or psychiatric episode.

Language: en