I was clearing houses and dealing with a lot of heavy stuff, like ambushes.” Romero served six years in the Army and was later diagnosed with PTSD.For example, when I go to a store to pay, I don’t like having anyone standing behind me because it gives me anxiety,” Romero said.And they’re three to five times more likely to have depression than individuals without PTSD.” O’Haire said that while anecdotes about veterans partnering with service dogs are inspiring, it's data and science that determines “what insurance will cover, what funders will pay for, and what clinicians will endorse.” The Department of Veterans Affairs, for example, says on its website that “there is not enough research to know if dogs help treat PTSD and symptoms.” However, the PAWS Act, signed into law in 2021, requires the VA to conduct a five-year pilot program to test out supporting service dogs for eligible veterans with PTSD.“If we look at quality of life, they report having three times higher overall psychological well-being.“This is is one of the reasons that we try to bring science and research to the table, because funders supporting organizations are looking for data.” A Labrador who's 'very in tune' Alejandra Figueroa, 42, is a Mexican American veteran who enlisted in the Army one day before her 23rd birthday in 2003."