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Senate Report 119-113 - SAVES ACT OF 2025
[Senate Report 119-113]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
Calendar No. 342
119th Congress } { Report
SENATE
2d Session } { 119-113
======================================================================
SAVES ACT OF 2025
_______
February 24, 2026.--Ordered to be printed
_______
Mr. Moran, from the Committee on Veterans' Affairs,
submitted the following
R E P O R T
[To accompany S. 1441]
[Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]
The Committee on Veterans' Affairs, to which was referred
the bill (S. 1441) to require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs
to award grants to nonprofit entities to assist such entities
in carrying out programs to provide service dogs to eligible
veterans, and for other purposes, having considered the same,
reports favorably thereon with an amendment in the nature of a
substitute and recommends that the bill, as amended, do pass.
INTRODUCTION
On April 10, 2025, Senator Thom Tillis from North Carolina
introduced S. 1441, the Service Dogs Assisting Veterans (SAVES)
Act of 2025. Senators Richard Blumenthal from Connecticut,
Elissa Slotkin from Michigan, Angus King from Maine, John
Cornyn from Texas, Dick Durbin from Illinois, Kevin Cramer from
North Dakota, Jacky Rosen from Nevada, and Jeanne Shaheen from
New Hampshire are original cosponsors of the bill. Senators
Charles Schumer from New York, Ted Budd from North Carolina,
Ben Ray Lujan from New Mexico, Alex Padilla from California,
Cory Booker from New Jersey, Martin Heinrich from New Mexico,
Mazie Hirono from Hawaii, Chris Coons from Delaware, Adam
Schiff from California, Catherine Cortez Masto from Nevada,
Tammy Baldwin from Wisconsin, Maggie Hassan from New Hampshire,
Angela Alsobrooks from Maryland, Tammy Duckworth from Illinois,
Shelley Capito from West Virginia, and Jon Husted from Ohio
were later added as cosponsors to the bill. The bill was
referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs (hereinafter
``Committee'').
COMMITTEE HEARINGS
On May 21, 2025, the Committee held a hearing on
legislation pending before the Committee, including S. 1441.
Testimony was received from: Thomas O'Toole, MD, Acting
Assistant Under Secretary for Health for Clinical Services at
the Veterans Health Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans
Affairs; Morgan Brown, National Legislative Director, Paralyzed
Veterans of America; Brian Dempsey, Director of Government
Affairs, Wounded Warrior Project; and Jon Retzer, Deputy
National Legislative Director of Health, Disabled American
Veterans.
COMMITTEE MEETING
After reviewing the testimony from the foregoing hearing,
the Committee met in open session on July 30, 2025, to consider
the Committee Print to S. 1441. The Committee, by a voice vote,
voted to favorably report S. 1441, as amended, en bloc with
other measures, to the Senate.
SUMMARY OF THE COMMITTEE BILL AS REPORTED
S. 1441, as reported (hereinafter, ``the Committee bill''),
consists of two sections, summarized below.
Section 1 provides the short title of the bill, the Service
Dogs Assisting Veterans (SAVES) Act of 2025.
Section 2 would require the Department of Veterans Affairs
(VA) to award grants for the provision of service dogs to
veterans.
BACKGROUND AND DISCUSSION
Sec. 2. Department of Veterans Affairs pilot program to award grants
for the provision of service dogs to veterans
Section 2 of the Committee bill would direct VA to
establish a five-year pilot program, to begin within 24 months
of enactment, to award competitive grants to nonprofit
organizations to provide service dogs to eligible veterans.
Nonprofit applicants would be required to submit proposals
detailing how they would train both veterans and dogs, provide
additional support services, publicize program availability,
and adhere to humane standards. Applicants would need to
demonstrate experience in training service dogs in compliance
with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Grants could not exceed $2 million annually and could be
used to plan, develop, implement, and manage programs
exclusively serving eligible veterans, with administrative
expenses subject to VA-established limits. Grant recipients
would be required to notify veterans of VA funding, provide
information on available benefits, and be prohibited from
charging fees to participating veterans. VA would offer
training and technical assistance to grantees, establish
oversight and reporting requirements, and take necessary
actions to ensure proper use of funds. VA would further provide
each veteran receiving a service dog with commercial veterinary
insurance, continuing regardless of the pilot program's
duration.
Eligible veterans would include those with visual or
hearing impairments, mobility limitations, post-traumatic
stress disorder (PTSD), traumatic brain injury (TBI), or other
conditions for which a service dog can assist in independent
living.
The term ``service dog'' is defined in the Committee bill
as a dog individually trained to perform tasks directly related
to a veteran's disability or condition, in accordance with the
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and accompanying federal
regulations.
Background
For more than 60 years, VA policy and regulations have
recognized the value of service dogs for certain conditions and
the benefits they can provide to veterans. VA provides benefits
for service dogs for eligible veterans who have been diagnosed
with a visual, hearing, or substantial mobility impairment when
the VA clinical team treating the veteran for such impairment
determines, based upon medical judgment, that it is optimal for
the veteran to manage the impairment and live independently
with the assistance of a trained service dog. VA provides a
commercially available veterinary insurance policy for veterans
with service dogs, as well as payments for travel expenses
associated with obtaining a dog if the veteran is eligible for
beneficiary travel under 38 U.S.C. Sec. 111 and 38 C.F.R. part
70, and if pre-approved for such benefits.\1\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\Hearing To Consider Pending Legislation: Hearing Before Senate
Committee on Veterans' Affairs, 118th Cong. (July 12, 2023).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
In recent years, Congress has increasingly recognized the
therapeutic value of service dogs for veterans, particularly
those suffering from PTSD, TBI, and other service-related
disabilities and conditions. A key milestone in this
recognition was the enactment of the Puppies Assisting Wounded
Servicemembers (PAWS) for Veterans Therapy Act (P.L. 117-37),
which was signed into law in August 2021 and directed VA to
establish a pilot program for canine training as part of
complementary and integrative health care for veterans with
PTSD. According to research, animal-assisted therapy provides
value to veterans who engage in it, including physiological
effects of increased oxytocin and dopamine levels and decreased
cortisol levels, as well as a sense of mission and duty to
their fellow veterans, knowing that the dog being trained will
be paired with a veteran at the end of the dog's approximately
two-year training timeline.\2\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\2\Animal Assisted Therapies, U.S. Dep't of Veterans Affairs,
available at https://www.va.gov/WHOLEHEALTHLIBRARY/docs/Animal-
Assisted-Therapies.pdf.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Committee bill has been introduced across multiple
Congresses, with the intent of boosting the capabilities, via
grant funding, of nonprofit service dog organizations (SDOs)
providing individually trained service dogs to veterans who
wish to utilize a service dog to do work or perform tasks to
mitigate the effects of a disability, condition, or diagnosis.
The Committee is aware that veterans are seeking out service
dogs for associated positive effects, including lower anxiety
and depression levels, improvements in areas of emotional and
social well-being, as well as psychosocial functioning--often
independent of VA.\3\ Similar to other VA grant programs,
Congress intends to help veterans in local communities across
the country by providing VA support to already extant SDOs so
the organization can increase their ability to pair more
veterans with service dogs.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\3\Sarah C. Leighton, et al., Service Dogs for Veterans and
Military Members With Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: A Nonrandomized
Controlled Trial, JAMA (2024).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Unfortunately, the demand for service dogs in the nonprofit
ecosystem is outstripping supply. Many SDOs operate on
donations and charitable support, with training costs ranging
from $20,000 to $40,000 per dog. While these SDOs do good work,
resources are finite, resulting in long wait times for veterans
in search of a service dog. The Committee believes this pilot
is an opportunity to help reduce delays by increasing the
number of dogs available to veterans.
Recognizing the effect that service dogs can have, Senator
Thom Tillis from North Carolina, the Committee bill's lead
sponsor, stated in an April 10, 2025, press release marking the
introduction of the bill:
Long after the fighting on the battlefield ends, too
many of the courageous servicemembers come home and
continue to battle against enemies that many consider
just as insidious as those with guns, grenades, and
rockets. That is why in 2021, I introduced the PAWS Act
that created a pilot program to provide canine training
to eligible veterans, but it is clear we must continue
to build on that effort to ensure this program is
expanded to veterans in need. The SAVES Act will allow
more veterans who are struggling with the invisible
wounds of war to receive service dogs that could
ultimately save their lives. We must repay the debt to
the men and women who served our country, I hope
congress quickly passes this legislation to provide
them with his important resource.
In the same press release, Senator Richard Blumenthal from
Connecticut, the Committee bill's original cosponsor, stated:
Service dogs provide vital support to our brave
servicemembers struggling with PTSD and other service-
related injuries after they return from the
battlefield. Military men and women are often fighting
invisible battles when they return home from service,
and these canine companions are able to offer them
comfort and ease their transition back into civilian
life. The SAVES Act ensures that nonprofits have the
necessary resources to provide our nation's heroes with
access to the essential and even life-saving assistance
of service dogs.
The same press release included support for the bill from
Disabled American Veterans, The American Legion, and K9s for
Warriors, all attesting to the life-saving assistance service
dogs can provide to veterans grappling with the invisible
wounds of war and facing physical challenges from mobility
issues to blindness. The total support for this bipartisan
legislation includes over 30 SDOs and Veteran Service
Organizations (VSOs).
The Committee recognizes suicide prevention as VA's top
clinical priority and understands that there is no single
solution to preventing suicide. The Committee supports VA's
broad efforts to reduce veteran suicide and sees potential
benefit in expanding access to service dogs trained to support
veterans' mental health and independence. The Committee views
the pilot program that would be established by this bill as a
way to assess feasibility and impact of this approach to
suicide prevention, and urges VA to use the pilot to build the
growing body of evidence that service dogs can aid mental
health, including by reducing PTSD symptoms.\4\ The Committee
is also hopeful that informing veterans that these service dogs
have been made possible in part by this VA program will help
encourage veterans not currently seeking VA services to
consider seeking out and utilizing VA care and benefits.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\4\Sarah C. Leighton, et al., Service Dogs for Veterans and
Military Members With Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: A Nonrandomized
Controlled Trial, JAMA (2024); Jeremy Ramirez, et al., Enhancing PTSD
Management in Veterans: A Longitudinal Study of the Therapeutic Role of
Psychiatric Service Dogs, Journal of Archives in Military Medicine
(Mar. 28, 2025); Jeremy Ramirez, et al., Barking Up the Right Tree: A
Qualitative Study of Health Outcomes Among Military Veteran Handlers
who Receive Service Dog Assistance, Journal of Archives in Military
Medicine (Aug. 10, 2025).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Committee notes that VA opposed including TBI as a
qualifying condition in the Committee bill on the ground that
service dogs are already recognized as aiding veterans'
mobility issues. The Committee believes that the pilot program
is an important opportunity to better understand what effect
service dogs can have to mitigate detrimental impacts of TBI on
a veteran's functioning and quality of life outside of
mobility. The Committee has heard from numerous veterans who
report better functioning and quality of life because of their
service dogs. The holistic listing of disabilities, conditions,
and diagnoses is intended to ensure nonprofits are training and
pairing service dogs with veterans in a manner that results in
more veterans who want service dogs being paired with a service
dog individually trained to perform tasks related to their
disability, condition, or diagnosis.
The Committee also notes VA's concerns regarding clear
authority for the administration of a grant program, and
oversight to ensure the most ideal use of funds to increase the
supply of service dogs available to veterans. This bill, if
enacted into law, would authorize and direct VA to establish
and execute the grant program described in the bill.
Accordingly, the Committee provides, in the legislative text,
latitude to VA to devise the application for the grant program
with the following included components that will aid the
oversight of the program and guide the awarding of grants: a
proposal for the provision of service dogs to eligible veterans
and how the nonprofit SDO will communicate results to VA; a
description of the training that will be provided for veterans
and dogs in the program; any additional support or services
provided to eligible veterans and their service dogs after
pairing (as many SDOs maintain enduring relationships and
community with the veterans who graduate their programs); a
plan for publicizing the program and availability of service
dogs to eligible veterans; a commitment to humane standards for
animals' training and conditions; and that such applicants have
demonstrated experience in producing dogs in compliance with
the ADA.
The Committee bill directs VA to implement this program
independent of outdated criteria and regulations outlined in 38
C.F.R. Sec. 17.148 which are used in the administration of VA's
internal Veterinary Health Insurance Benefit (VHIB),
particularly those that limit eligibility to veterans with ``a
visual, hearing, or substantial mobility impairment'' and
require third-party accreditation memberships. Such definitions
were never intended to govern external grantmaking and should
not restrict nonprofit partnerships under the Committee bill.
The Committee recognizes that nonprofit entities provide
accreditation to SDOs, certifying certain training standards
and practices, and recognizes the value that such entities
provide to the nonprofit SDO ecosystem. Legislative efforts
over the past decade have generally favored ``accreditor-
neutral'' approaches, and bills that avoid naming specific
third-party nonprofits have been advanced further. Accordingly,
Congress expects VA to establish its own uniform, transparent
eligibility standards through Departmental policy, informed by
input from Congress and across the nonprofit SDO community to
ensure that all applicants are evaluated according to
transparent, government-defined standards.
Veterans seeking a service dog from a participating
nonprofit SDO should not be subject to additional VA
evaluation, approval, or medical prescriptions by VA as a
condition of access. Requiring VA clinician evaluations or
prescriptions would introduce unnecessary delays, contradict
the program's nonprofit-led design, and risk restricting access
to veterans who have already been vetted and accepted by
qualified organizations. The Committee encourages VA to
implement the program consistent with standard federal
grantmaking practices, which do not involve agency review of
individual recipients of nonprofit services unless explicitly
required by statute.
The Committee also expects that VA will not limit nonprofit
eligibility based on third-party accreditation status. While
these organizations provide respected models, reliance on
private accreditation systems rather than VA-administered
criteria would privilege one class of applicants over a great
many others, artificially restrict the pool of qualified
applicants, and undermine the intent of this legislation.
Additionally, VA has the authority to establish terms,
conditions, and limitations in any agreement entered into with
an applicant nonprofit prior to awarding any grant funds. VA is
also empowered to request reports, conduct surveys, and
administer questionnaires to grant recipients in whatever form
so prescribed by the Department to ensure proper use of funds
toward the intended goal of pairing more veterans with more
trained service dogs.
Committee Bill
Section 2 would direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to
establish a five-year pilot program, to begin within 24 months
of enactment, under which competitive grants would be awarded
to nonprofit organizations to provide service dogs to eligible
veterans. Nonprofit applicants would be required to submit
proposals describing how they will train both veterans and
dogs, provide additional support services, publicize program
availability, maintain humane animal standards, and demonstrate
experience in training service dogs in compliance with the ADA.
Section 2 would further stipulate that grants would be
capped at $2 million per fiscal year, with VA authorized to
increase grant amounts for inflation or program needs after
providing 30 days' notice to the House and Senate Veterans'
Affairs Committees. This is intended to ensure support can
continue to deliver results for veterans by increasing capacity
at grant-recipient SDOs, while maintaining Congressional
oversight. Grant funds would be limited to being used to plan,
develop, implement, and manage programs exclusively serving
eligible veterans, and are subject to limits on administrative
expenses and any other VA-imposed conditions.
Section 2 of the Committee bill would also define
eligibility for services under this grant program would be
determined by the nonprofit recipient, not VA. The intent of
Congress is for VA to support the veteran-serving work being
done by grant recipients, distinct from VA's internal clinical
benefits. As such, VA's role would be limited to reviewing,
awarding, and overseeing grants based on the merit, experience,
financial stewardship, and capacity of the nonprofit SDOs that
apply. At no point would VA be expected or authorized to
evaluate the veterans served by these organizations, nor to
determine whether a veteran ``qualifies'' for a nonprofit SDO's
program. Each nonprofit SDO already operates with its own
intake and suitability criteria, which fall outside VA's
purview in this context, and can independently verify veterans'
eligibility in accordance with the criteria specified in the
SAVES Act.
Per section 2 of the Committee bill, grant recipients would
inform veterans that the service dog is funded by the
Department, provide information on available benefits, and be
prohibited from charging fees to participating veterans. VA
would be able to provide technical assistance to grantees and
require reporting to ensure proper use of funds.
The Committee bill would also require VA to collaboratively
engage with eligible nonprofit SDOs and VSOs throughout the
implementation process to ensure the program meets the needs of
diverse veterans across the country.
CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE COST ESTIMATE
In accordance with paragraph 11(a) of rule XXVI of the
Standing Rules of the Senate and section 402 of the
Congressional Budget Act of 1974, the Committee provides the
following cost estimate, prepared by the Congressional Budget
Office:
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
The bill would:
Require the Department of Veterans Affairs
(VA) to establish a pilot program to award grants to
nonprofit entities for the provision of service dogs to
veterans
Direct VA to provide veterinary insurance
for such service dogs
Estimated budgetary effects would mainly stem from:
Providing grants to nonprofit organizations
Funding veterinary insurance for service
dogs
Bill summary: S. 1441 would require the Department of
Veterans Affairs (VA) to establish a pilot program to award
grants to nonprofit entities to provide service dogs to
eligible veterans over the 2027-2031 period. The bill also
would require VA to provide veterinary insurance for those
dogs.
Estimated Federal cost: The estimated budgetary effects of
S. 1441 are shown in Table 1. The costs of the legislation fall
within budget function 700 (veterans benefits and services).
TABLE 1.--ESTIMATED BUDGETARY EFFECTS OF S. 1441
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By fiscal year, millions of dollars--
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 2031 2032 2033 2034 2035 2025-2030 2025-2035
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
INCREASES IN DIRECT SPENDING
Estimated Budget Authority........................... 0 * 2 2 2 3 3 * * * * 9 12
Estimated Outlays.................................... 0 * 2 2 2 3 3 * * * * 9 12
INCREASES IN SPENDING SUBJECT TO APPROPRIATION
Estimated Authorization.............................. 0 * 8 8 8 7 7 1 1 1 1 31 42
Estimated Outlays.................................... 0 * 8 8 8 7 7 1 1 1 1 31 42
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* = between zero and $500,000.
Basis of estimate: For this estimate, CBO assumes that S.
1441 will be enacted near the beginning of fiscal year 2026 and
that outlays will follow historical spending patterns for
affected programs.
Provisions that affect spending subject to appropriation
and direct spending: Section 2 of S. 1441 would require VA to
establish a five-year pilot program to provide grants to
nonprofit entities for the provision of service dogs to
eligible veterans beginning in 2027. The program also would
require VA to provide veterinary insurance for dogs acquired
under the program, including during the period after the pilot
program expires.
The bill authorizes the appropriation of $10 million
annually during the five-year period of the program's
operation. CBO expects that the authorized amounts would cover
the costs of awarding grants to nonprofit entities and
providing veterinary insurance for dogs acquired through the
program. Based on information from VA and similar programs, CBO
estimates that approximately 1,000 veterans would receive dogs
under the program. Under the bill, VA would be required to
continue providing veterinary insurance for those dogs after
the pilot ends. CBO estimates that the cost of providing
insurance coverage over the 2032-2035 period would total $4
million, assuming an average annual cost of $1,100 per dog. In
total, CBO estimates that implementing section 2 would cost $54
million over the 2025-2035 period.
CBO expects that some of the costs of implementing the bill
would be paid from the Toxic Exposures Fund (TEF) established
by Public Law 117-168, the Honoring our PACT Act. The TEF is a
mandatory appropriation that VA uses to pay for health care,
disability claims processing, medical research, and IT
modernization that benefit veterans who were exposed to
environmental hazards.
Additional spending from the TEF would occur if legislation
increases the costs of similar activities that benefit veterans
with such exposure. Thus, in addition to increasing spending
subject to appropriation, enacting section 2 would increase
amounts paid from the TEF, which are classified as direct
spending. CBO projects that the proportion of costs paid by the
TEF will grow over time based on the amount of formerly
discretionary appropriations that CBO expects will be provided
through the mandatory appropriation as specified in the
Honoring our PACT Act.\1\
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\1\For additional information about estimated spending from the
TEF, see Congressional Budget Office, ``Toxic Exposures Fund--January
2025 Baseline'' (January 2025), https://tinyurl.com/465ytckb.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
CBO estimates that over the 2025-2035 period, implementing
section 2 would increase spending subject to appropriation by
$42 million and direct spending by $12 million.
Pay-As-You-Go considerations: The Statutory Pay-As-You-Go
Act of 2010 establishes budget-reporting and enforcement
procedures for legislation affecting direct spending or
revenues. The net changes in outlays that are subject to those
pay-as-you-go procedures are shown in Table 1.
Increase in long-term net direct spending and deficits: CBO
estimates that enacting S. 1441 would not increase net direct
spending by more than $2.5 billion in any of the four
consecutive 10-year periods beginning in 2036.
CBO estimates that enacting S. 1441 would not increase on-
budget deficits by more than $5 billion in any of the four
consecutive 10-year periods beginning in 2036.
Mandates: The bill contains no intergovernmental or
private-sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates
Reform Act.
Previous CBO estimate: On August 7, 2025, CBO transmitted a
cost estimate for H.R. 2605, the Service Dogs Assisting
Veterans Act, as ordered reported by the House Committee on
Veterans' Affairs on July 23, 2025. Both H.R. 2605 and S. 1441
would establish a pilot program to provide grants for service
dogs and fund veterinary insurance such service dogs. H.R. 2605
includes a provision to extend the reduction in certain pension
payments, which would reduce direct spending. S. 1441 does not
include such a provision; thus, the net costs of the latter
bill are higher.
Estimate prepared by: Federal Costs: Noah Callahan;
Mandates: Lucy Marret.
Estimate reviewed by: David Newman, Chief, Defense,
International Affairs, and Veterans' Affairs Cost Estimates
Unit; Kathleen FitzGerald, Chief, Public and Private Mandates
Unit; Christina Hawley Anthony, Deputy Director of Budget
Analysis.
Estimate approved by: Phillip L. Swagel, Director,
Congressional Budget Office.
REGULATORY IMPACT STATEMENT
In compliance with paragraph 11(b) of rule XXVI of the
Standing Rules of the Senate, the Committee has made an
evaluation of the regulatory impact of the Committee bill. The
Committee finds that the Committee bill would impose regulatory
requirements on VA's participating nonprofit partners. It is
not expected to adversely affect personal privacy and the
paperwork resulting from enactment is expected to be moderate.
TABULATION OF VOTES CAST IN COMMITTEE
In compliance with paragraph 7(b) of rule XXVI of the
Standing Rules of the Senate, the following is a tabulation of
votes cast in person or by proxy by members of the Committee on
Veterans' Affairs at its July 30, 2025, meeting.
During this meeting, Chairman Moran called up 23 bills,
including S. 1441, to be considered en bloc. The bills were
reported favorably by voice vote en bloc.
AGENCY REPORT
On May, 21 2025, Thomas O'Toole, Acting Assistant Under
Secretary for Health for Clinical Services at the Veterans
Health Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs,
appeared before the Committee and submitted testimony on S.
1441. An excerpt from that testimony relevant to S. 1441 is
reprinted below:
statement of mr. thomas o'toole, acting assistant under secretary for
health for clinical services at the veteran's health administration,
u.s. department of veterans affairs (va)
s. 1441 service dogs assisting veterans act of 2025 (saves act of
2025)
Section 2(a) of this bill would require VA, not later than
24 months after the date of enactment, to establish a 5-year
pilot program under which VA would award grants, on a
competitive basis, to nonprofit entities to provide service
dogs to eligible Veterans. Section 2(b) would provide that, to
be eligible to receive a grant, nonprofit entities would have
to submit to VA an application at such time, in such a manner,
and containing such commitments and information as VA may
require. Applications would have to include a proposal for the
provision of service dogs to eligible Veterans, including how
the entity would communicate with VA to ensure an increasing
number of service dogs are provided to Veterans; applicants
would also have to include a description of training and
services provided by the entity, as well as the qualifications
of the entity (including demonstrated experience in training
service dogs in compliance with the requirements of the ADA).
Under section 2(c), VA would have to award a grant to each
non-profit entity for which VA has approved an application. VA
and the entity would have to enter into an agreement containing
such terms, conditions, and limitations as VA determines
appropriate. The maximum grant amount VA could award to a non-
profit entity under this section would be $2 million. VA would
have to establish intervals of payment for the administration
of each grant awarded under this section.
Under section 2(d), grantees would have to use the grant
amounts to plan, develop, implement, or manage (or any
combination thereof) one or more programs that provide service
dogs to eligible Veterans and ensures only eligible Veterans
are allowed to participate in the program. VA could establish a
maximum amount for each grant awarded under this section to
cover administrative expenses. VA also could establish other
conditions or limitations on the use of grant amounts.
Under section 2(e), grantees would have to notify each
Veteran that receives a service dog through the grant that the
dog is being paid for, in whole or in part, by VA, and they
would have to inform such Veterans of the benefits and services
available from VA for the Veteran and service dog. Grantees
could not charge a fee to a Veteran receiving a service dog
through the grant.
Under section 2(f), VA would have to provide to each
Veteran who receives a service dog through a grant a
commercially available veterinary insurance policy for the
service dog, and, if VA provides such a veterinary insurance
policy to a Veteran, VA would have to continue to provide the
policy without regard to the continuation or termination of the
pilot program.
Under section 2(g), VA could provide training and technical
assistance to recipients of grants under this section.
Under section 2(h), VA would have to establish oversight
and monitoring requirements as appropriate to ensure grants are
used appropriately, and VA could take actions as necessary to
address any issues identified through the enforcement of such
requirements. VA could require each grantee to provide reports
or written answers to specific questions, surveys, or
questionnaires as VA determines necessary.
Section 2(i) would define terms for purposes of this Act.
The term ``eligible veteran'' would be defined to mean Veterans
under 38 U.S.C. Sec. 101 who, as determined by a physician,
have one more of the following disabilities, conditions, or
diagnoses: blindness or visual impairment; loss of use of a
limb, paralysis, or other significant mobility issue, including
mental health mobility; loss of hearing; posttraumatic stress
disorder (PTSD); traumatic brain injury (TBI); or any other
disability, condition, or diagnosis VA determines, based on
medical judgment, that it is optimal for the Veteran to manage
the disability, condition, or diagnosis and live independently
through the assistance of a service dog. The term ``service
dog'' would mean any dog that is individually trained to do
work or perform tasks that are for the benefit of a Veteran
with a disability, condition, or diagnosis described above and
directly related to the disability, condition, or diagnosis of
the Veteran.
Section 2(j) would authorize to be appropriated $10 million
for each of the five consecutive fiscal years following the
fiscal year in which the pilot program is established.
VA supports this bill, subject to amendments and the availability of
appropriations
VA provides benefits for service dogs for eligible Veterans
who have been diagnosed with a visual, hearing, or substantial
mobility impairment (including mental health mobility) when the
VA clinical team treating the Veteran for such impairment
determines, based upon medical judgment, that it is optimal for
the Veteran to manage the impairment and live independently
through the assistance of a trained service dog. See 38 C.F.R.
Sec. 17.148(b). VA provides a commercially available veterinary
insurance policy for service dogs, as well as payments for
travel expenses associated with obtaining a dog if the Veteran
is eligible for beneficiary travel under 38 U.S.C. Sec. 111 and
38 C.F.R. part 70 and if pre-approved for such benefits.
While not involving the provision of service dogs, since
February 2022, VA has been implementing the Puppies Assisting
Wounded Servicemembers for Veterans Therapy Act (P.L. 117-37),
which requires VA to conduct a pilot program to provide canine
training to eligible Veterans diagnosed with PTSD as an element
of a complementary and integrative health program for such
Veterans. Service dogs provide essential support for many
Veterans.
We appreciate that the bill generally focuses on creating a
more direct connection in the legislation between grant funds
and the provision of service dogs to eligible Veterans, but we
believe this could be clearer. Specifically, in section 2(d),
the bill would require grantees to use funds ``to plan,
develop, implement, or manage (or any combination thereof) one
or more'' programs that provide service dogs to eligible
Veterans. Allowing the use of funds to plan a program that
provides service dogs, but which ultimately does not provide
service dogs, is not an ideal use of funds. We recommend the
bill simply state that grantees would use funds to provide
service dogs to eligible Veterans. In VA's experience, Veterans
can wait between 1 and 3 years between when a dog has been
recommended by VA and when a Veteran has been fully paired with
a service dog that has graduated training. VA believes the
grants provided under this authority could help increase the
supply of service dogs to reduce this delay. In any grant
program, but particularly in the case of service dog training,
it is essential to ensure that funds are properly used.
Several provisions in the bill raise concerns. First, VA
recommends clearly aligning the definition of service dog under
this section with VA's existing definition in regulations.
Second, VA is concerned about the list of disabilities that was
presented in the bill. Specifically, the inclusion of TBI, for
which a Veteran may already otherwise qualify based on having a
significant mobility issue, and PTSD, as there is no
substantial evidence to date that service dogs provide
improvements in functioning and quality of life for Veterans
with PTSD as compared to emotional support dogs. VA recommends
striking these provisions. We note, similar to the discussion
above regarding Veterans with TBI qualifying for a service dog
when they have a significant mobility issue, Veterans with PTSD
can receive a service dog on the same basis. Further, VA
recommends including additional language that would ensure
clear authority for the administration of a grant program.
Finally, we note that the current bill expands eligibility to
all Veterans who meet the requirements of 38 U.S.C. Sec. 101,
not just Veterans enrolled in VA health care. This would
complicate administration of this program.
We also note that this proposal would likely require
dedicated staff in a new office to administer this program.
VA does not have a cost estimate for this bill.
changes in existing law
Pursuant to paragraph 12 of rule XXVI of the Standing Rules
of the Senate, the Committee finds no changes in existing law
made by S. 1441, as ordered reported.
[all]