To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish a grant program for the provision of service dogs to eligible veterans, and for other purposes.
The Service Dogs Assisting Veterans Act directs the Department of Veterans Affairs to establish a grant program that provides funding to nonprofit organizations to supply and train service dogs for eligible veterans with disabilities. Eligible veterans must be enrolled in VA health care and have conditions such as blindness, mobility issues, hearing loss, traumatic brain injury, post-traumatic stress disorder, or military sexual trauma. Each nonprofit organization can receive up to $2 million in grants and must be accredited by Assistance Dogs International or a similar recognized accreditation body, provide equal access to women veterans, and ensure their trained dogs perform specific tasks directly related to veterans' disabilities rather than simply providing emotional support. The bill authorizes $10 million annually from fiscal year 2024 through 2028 to fund these grants, requiring recipient organizations to conduct evaluations of their programs' effectiveness and provide training, aftercare services, and marketing to reach eligible veterans.
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