Mr. Speaker, Veterans Affairs Canada recognizes the growing interest in the use of service dogs to support Veterans with physical and mental health conditions as well as offering a range of mental health treatments for various conditions. At present, psychiatric service dogs are not currently recognized under Veterans Affairs Canada’s treatment benefits however Veterans Affairs Canada remains committed to reviewing its approach to psychiatric service dogs.
While Veterans Affairs Canada acknowledges the potential of psychiatric service dogs to assist individuals with mental health conditions, the priority remains to ensure Veterans have access to evidence-based, safe, and effective health benefits. At present, there is insufficient evidence to support the efficacy of psychiatric service dogs as a recognized treatment.
In June 2022, the Standing Committee on Veterans Affairs released its report, “Incorporating Service Dogs into the Rehabilitation Program of Veterans Affairs Canada.” Among its recommendations, the committee encouraged Veterans Affairs Canada to consider the ongoing five-year service dog training pilot program by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, once a national standard is established in Canada.
Veterans Affairs Canada continues to monitor emerging research on psychiatric service dogs including the aforementioned study, which began in late 2022 and is expected to run for five years. Veterans Affairs Canada will review the study’s findings and best practices to assess their relevance and applicability within the Canadian context. In 2015, Veterans Affairs Canada funded a pilot study to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of service dogs for Veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder. In 2019, through the Veteran Family and Well-being Fund, Veterans Affairs Canada provided funding to Wounded Warriors Canada to support the development of a post-traumatic stress disorder service dog certification program.
Of note, in 2018, the Government of Canada expanded the Medical Expense Tax Credit to include expenses for specially trained service animals. This credit is available to eligible Canadians, including Veterans.
With regard to (a), Veterans Affairs Canada does not have any public or private directives concerning certification of service dogs for Veterans.
With regard to (b), the response is not applicable.
With regard to (c), although Veterans Affairs Canada has had, and continues to have, internal and external communications regarding service dogs in general, it does not have records relating to the public and private directives issued to Veterans regarding the certification of service dogs.