The Department of Veterans Affairs 2015 has announced that it has revised its regulation regarding the presence of animals on VA property. Under the revised regulation, only dogs that are individually trained to perform work or tasks on behalf of an individual with a disability will be considered service animals. Other animals will not be permitted in VA facilities, unless expressly allowed as an exception under the regulation for activities such as animal-assisted therapy or for other reasons such as law enforcement purposes. The dogs may be restricted from certain areas on VA properties to ensure that patient care, patient safety, and infection control standards are not compromised. VA will provide training to frontline employees and ensure policies at all facilities are consistent with the new regulation.
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