14
September 2017
Assistance dogs for
veterans with PTSD
Minister for Veterans’ Affairs Dan Tehan has
announced the Government is working on a trial
to evaluate the mental health benefits of
assistance dogs for veterans with Post Traumatic
Stress Disorder (PTSD).
Mr
Tehan said the trial would enable the collection
of evidence to inform future policy
considerations to help the Government continue
meeting the mental health needs of veterans.
“Anyone
who has had a dog knows they can be loyal
friends and many veterans have told me that
having a dog has been incredibly beneficial for
their mental health,” Mr Tehan said.
“The
Government now wants to investigate whether this
benefit can be supported by evidence from a
trial.
“More
than 30,000 Australian veterans have an accepted
service-related disability for PTSD and the
Government is committed to tackling the mental
health challenges facing veterans and their
families.
“In
last year’s budget, the Government made the
treatment of PTSD free for anyone who has served
one day in the full-time ADF and this has led to
encouraging results with more veterans seeking
help for PTSD – and getting that help.”
Mr
Tehan said the trial was being planned to
guarantee the safety of the human and animal
participants as well as the general public.
The
Government recently approved a grant to study
the value of service dogs for veterans with
mental health conditions under the new
Supporting Younger Veterans Program.
Media enquiries:
Minister Tehan’s Office: Byron Vale, 0428 262
894
Department of Veterans’ Affairs Media: 02 6289
6203