[nagdu] Blind Vet has guide dog banned from hospital

[Jenine Stanley]

As usual, there’s more to this story in general, not specifically Mr. Easton’s case, than the reporter bothered to learn. 

The VA does have a document that states it can ban service animals from certain places in medical facilities, particularly “operators” which include such treatment rooms as dental and other rooms where minor surgeries take place. 

We are all probably shaking our heads at this one as the number of times we’ve taken our dogs with us into a dental treatment room defies counting. Here’s the issue. With the proliference of service dogs, especially to treat conditions like PTSD and social anxiety, some veterans insist that their smaller dogs sit in their laps during treatment. this poses an issue for any staff having to do said treatment. 

Requiring the dog to remain on the floor or otherwise out of the way of personnel during treatment is a simple solution but then, as one of our service dog grads discovered, it’s not that simple. 

She was told her dog, who had previously been accompanying her to an acupuncture clinic within the VA property, was no longer allowed in the treatment area with her. She’d been bringing a tie down chain and securing the dog to a chair where the dog maintained a down/stay during her procedure. 

Turns out someone else’s service dog was not so well controlled and roamed around the room then ate one of the disgraced acupuncture needles, leading to extensive veterinary costs. 

it also turns out that the acupuncture service was being provided by a third party contracted by the VA and there was massive confusion as to whether or not the VA even had authority to regulate the staff of said entity.

It finally did get settled and she is allowed to bring her dog back into the exam room but no one is happy and the relaxing benefits of the therapy are gone for her.

Just as many of us feel that the state-run rehabilitation system can be punitive if we complain, veterans have the same issue with the VA so many don’t say anything. Some appointments take months to get also. 

There is an NPRM (Notice of Proposed Rule Making) out there for comment though and it includes a section about such access. Sorry but the link is on my work computer. I’ll send it along though. 

This is an issue we deal with a lot at GDF/AVD (America’s VetDogs). 
Jenine Stanley
jeninems at wowway.com

http://www.twitter.com/jeninems

> On Dec 13, 2014, at 10:54 PM, Nicole Torcolini via nagdu <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> Blind Vet's Guide Dog Banned From VA Hospital 
> Posted By 
> David-Elijah Nahmod
> @DavidElijahN
> on Fri, Dec 12, 2014 at 2:14 PM
> 
> Matthew Easton's dog Chestnut isn't just his buddy — he's his eyesight. 
> 
> Easton, an Air Force veteran who served from 2001-2005, lost most of his
> vision due to an eye disease. Chestnut is Easton's guide dog. With his
> faithful
> companion by his side, Easton is able to get around his neighborhood in San
> Luis Obispo. Chestnut also guides Easton from Central California to the VA
> Hospital in San Francisco's Outer Richmond District, where he receives
> medical treatment for his eyes. 
> 
> But recently, the VA Hospital delivered some not-so-welcoming news, telling
> Easton that he could no longer bring Chestnut into the eye exam room at the
> hospital. 
> 
> "I was told by the Patient Advocate Office as well as the eye clinic that
> the only option was to have a family member or a friend watch my dog for me
> during
> my exam," Easton told SF Weekly. "I was told if that wan't an option that I
> was to call Animal Control and have them take my guide dog to the shelter at
> my own expense just for the short duration of my appointment."
> Easton says that he was advised to "leave his dog in the car." 
> 
> Obvious questions arose, such as: leave Chestnut in what car? A blind person
> can't legally drive. As a person who lives on disability insurance Easton
> can hardly afford boarding fees. And besides, how would Easton get from the
> pound—which is in the Mission—to the VA Hospital in the Outer Richmond
> without
> his guide dog?
> 
> "I depend on the VA for treatment," Easton said. "Putting my dog in a
> shelter is ridiculous. It's dangerous for me as well as my dog."
> 
> According to Easton, the hospital claims that the exam room is a "sterile
> area."
> 
> "This is false," Easton claims. "Gown and scrub down procedures are not
> taking place in the exam rooms."  He also reports incidents of food in the
> exam
> rooms.
> 
> SF Weekly reached out to Judi Cheary, Director of Public Affairs for the VA
> Hospital, who said the VA would handle the matter. "We will be looking into
> his specific concerns regarding the eye clinic," Cheary replied. "Also our
> overall process for accommodating service animals in our medical center. We
> will be reaching out to Matthew to get his feedback and input." 
> 
> Bryan Bashin, Executive Director of the San Francisco chapter of the
> Lighthouse for the Blind, was pretty upset after hearing about Easton's
> situation,
> calling it "discriminatory." 
> 
> "The Lighthouse For the Blind is dismayed that the Veteran's Administration,
> of all agencies, chose to discriminate against a blind person who uses a
> guide
> dog," Bashin told SF Weekly. "The local Veteran's Administration leadership
> should know that guide dogs are legally allowed in all places of public
> accommodations,
> which includes public spaces, hallways, and waiting rooms where members of
> the general public are allowed."
> 
> Apparently, the VA Hospital is exempt from the Americans With Disabilities
> Act.
> 
> "Because we are a federal government facility, access to VA is governed by
> the Rehabilitation Act," Cheary said. "ADA does not govern access or
> admission
> to VA facilities or property." 
> 
> She added: "We apologize for Matthew not being allowed to keep his service
> animal with him in the exam room. This is not the type of experience we want
> our veterans to have."
> 
> As our story was being filed, Easton called us with great news. "I just got
> done on the phone and the VA Hospital is changing their policy," Easton
> said.
> "They were cooperative and listened. So excited!" 
> 
> Cheary confirmed that the hospital had indeed altered its policy.  
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Aaron Cannon via
> nagdu
> Sent: Saturday, December 13, 2014 7:08 PM
> To: NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users
> Subject: [nagdu] Blind Vet has guide dog banned from hospital
> 
> http://www.sfweekly.com/thesnitch/2014/12/12/blind-vets-guide-dog-banned-fro
> m-va-hospital
> 
> 
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