Neighbor News
Rep. Chrissy Sommer's Weekly Capitol Connection - April 15, 2016
News about the Missouri Capitol , St Charles County and District 106.
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Missouri House Approves Bill to Help Veterans Suffering from PTSD (HB 1428)
The Missouri House this week gave overwhelming bipartisan support to legislation that would provide additional assistance to veterans suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). House members approved HB 1428 to change Missouri law to recognize mental health service dogs on the same level as traditional service dogs.
The bill would revise the definition of "service dog" to include animals that provide support or therapeutic functions for individuals with psychiatric or mental disabilities. The sponsor said the change is necessary to provide additional support to the many combat veterans who returned home with PTSD or a traumatic brain injury. The sponsor also noted that the global war on terror has created 2.7 million veterans with 20 percent of these individuals estimated to have post-traumatic stress disorder, and more than 300,000 estimated to have a traumatic brain injury.
By adding the definition of the mental health service dogs to current statutes, the Missouri House hopes to help returning veterans suffering from PTSD, as well as individuals struggling with Alzheimer’s, brain injuries, and an array of mental health diagnoses. Mental health service dogs are individually trained to perform tasks that mitigate the psychiatric disabilities of their disabled partners. Therapy dogs can guide a disoriented handler to safety, find a family member for assistance, and stop obsessive compulsive disorder actions.
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Despite their benefits, mental health service dogs have not been recognized and treated on the same level as traditional service dogs. However, mental health services dogs are already recognized by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the Federal Aviation Administration.
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