An Aide for the Disabled - The New Yolrk Times August 22, 2009

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August 22, 2009

An Aide for the Disabled, a Companion, and Nice and Furry

By WALECIA KONRAD

BECAUSE she suffers from a rare genetic disorder, 17-year-old Siobhan O’Connor

walks with braces and cannot speak. Her assistance dog, Gaynor, helps Siobhan

keep her balance and navigate crowds when she leaves her Santa , Calif.,

home. The dog can also pick up dropped items or open and close doors.

“Gaynor has been a tremendous help for my daughter physically, and a great

bridge socially,†said Siobhan’s mother, Karr O’Connor.

That is why Ms. O’Connor was so surprised when the company that administers

her employer’s flexible spending health account rejected her claim for

hundreds of dollars of veterinary bills and other maintenance costs for Gaynor.

(A flexible spending health care account lets employees use pretax dollars to

pay for qualified medical expenses.)

Service dog expenses are medical costs approved by the Internal Revenue Service,

and Ms. O’Connor had filed similar expenses under her flexible spending plan

in the past without problem.

But her employer had recently switched plan administrators, and the new company

balked at paying the claims. Only now, after dozens of letters and phone calls,

is the check supposedly in the mail.

“It took an amazing amount of effort, but I wouldn’t give up,†Ms.

O’Connor said. “I felt like it was almost a form of harassment or even

discrimination against my disabled daughter.â€

The O’Connors’ situation illustrates the financial burden that people with

assistance dogs may face. Wonderful as the animals are, it can be costly to buy,

feed and care for them. No health insurance policies cover these costs.

More people are likely to enter this thicket in coming years. Although few firm

numbers are available, people in the profession say the number of assistance

dogs in use in this country has continually grown, as experts have been able to

train dogs for more types of tasks. Besides traditional activities, like guiding

the blind and acting as hearing dogs for the deaf, the animals are increasingly

being used to help people in wheelchairs and children with autism. Some dogs can

even warn people with diabetes that they have low blood sugar or people with

epilepsy that they are about to have a seizure. Still others help patients who

are suffering from brain trauma and other cognitive disorders function better in

the everyday world.

Service dogs have proved so successful for wounded Iraqi war veterans that

legislation has been introduced in both the House and the Senate to start a

comprehensive government-sponsored assistance dog program for vets.

There are dozens of established nonprofit organizations, including Canine

Companions for Independence and the Guide Dog Foundation for the Blind, that

provide service dogs free of charge to those who need them. But the wait can be

long.

Plenty of other programs, especially those specializing in the newer uses of

assistance dogs, will charge you part or all the cost of raising and training

the dog — which can range from $15,000 to $50,000.

And whether the dog is donated or purchased, once the animal is home, it becomes

the owner’s responsibility to feed and groom it and keep it healthy. Food and

routine veterinarian bills on average add up to about $1,500 a year, said

Jeanine Konopelski, director of marketing for Canine Companions for

Independence. And “if a dog becomes ill or is hurt, vet bills can go much,

much higher,†she said.

Ed Eames, president of the International Association of Assistance Dog Partners,

a nonprofit advocacy organization, said, “We hate to see people missing out on

this incredible aide because they can’t afford to take care of an assistance

dog.†Mr. Eames and his wife, Toni, are both blind and both use guide dogs.

“And remember,†Mr. Eames said. “This is not a wealthy group. Seventy

percent of disabled people are unemployed.â€

Fortunately, there are programs aimed at helping to defray the costs of caring

for an assistance dog. The following advice can help people take advantage of

the resources available and get the most for their money.

CHOOSE CAREFULLY. “There are some phony programs out there, so you have to be

careful,†Mr. Eames warned. “You’ll pay a lot and end up with a poorly

trained dog.â€

Look for established programs with a history of successful fund-raising and

large budgets. The Guide Dog Foundation for the Blind, for example, spends about

$55,000 to breed and train each of the 130 guide and service dogs it places each

year, and has an annual budget of $8 million.

Assistance Dogs International and the International Association of Assistance

Dog Partners list various organizations that train all types of service dogs

throughout the country.

Check to make sure the program you pick provides dogs and equipment like special

leashes free and also covers the costs of training the human partner.

CREDENTIALS COUNT. You want your dog to come from a program accredited by

Assistance Dogs International, especially when participating in a program where

you are paying some or all of the costs. This credential ensures that the

program is adhering to industry training standards.

Dogs from accredited programs are also more likely to behave well in public,

making it easier for people to go to places that are often dog-unfriendly, like

restaurants. Being denied such access is a common problem for people using

assistance dogs.

PICK THE RIGHT TRAINER. Recently, it has become more common for human partners

to train their own assistance dogs, usually with the help of a professional

trainer. This can be expensive, however, with no guarantee of results, warns Mr.

Eames.

Trainers charge anywhere from $5,000 to $15,000 for each dog. If you go with a

private trainer, look for one who has previously worked for one of the main

assistance-dog training programs.

GET HELP WITH VET BILLS. Many veterinarian chains, animal hospitals, teaching

hospitals and local vets offer discounts on services for assistance dogs.. Ms.

O’Connor, for instance, receives a 10 percent discount on vaccinations and

other services for Gaynor from her veterinarian.

For large vet bills, say for a surgery or major illness, check back with the

organization where you got the dog. Many programs have emergency vet money

available. In addition, the International Association of Assistance Dog Partners

lists many veterinarian hospitals that offer free critical care for ill or

injured assistance dogs and also runs a fund for people in financial need who

face large vet bills.

CHECK FOR TAX BREAKS. If your medical expenses equal more than 7.5 percent of

your adjusted gross income, you can write off those expenses on your income

taxes, including the cost of maintaining a service dog.

And many companies do allow this expense on their flexible spending accounts —

without the impediments Ms. O’Connor faced. Check with your employer’s

benefits department.