The SAVES Act requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to establish a pilot program within 24 months that awards competitive grants to nonprofit organizations for providing service dogs to eligible veterans. The program targets veterans enrolled in VA healthcare who have been prescribed a service dog for conditions including blindness, mobility issues, hearing loss, PTSD, traumatic brain injury, or other disabilities where a service dog would help them live independently. Each nonprofit can receive up to $2 million in grant funding, must provide the service dogs free of charge to veterans, and must meet specific requirements including experience training service dogs under Americans with Disabilities Act standards. The bill authorizes $10 million annually from fiscal years 2027 through 2031, and the VA may also provide veterinary insurance policies for the service dogs, with the pilot program ending on September 30, 2031.
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