1.Wounded Warrior K–9
Corps
(a)Subject to the
availability of appropriations provided for such purpose, the Secretary of
Defense and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall jointly establish a
program, to be known as the Wounded Warrior K–9 Corps
, to award
competitive grants to nonprofit organizations to assist such organizations in
planning, designing, establishing, and operating programs to provide assistance
dogs to covered members and veterans.
(b)
(1)The recipient of a grant under this section shall use the
grant to carry out programs that provide assistance dogs to covered members and
veterans who have a disability described in paragraph (2).
(2)A
disability described in this paragraph is any of the following:
(A)Blindness or
visual impairment.
(B)Loss of use of a
limb, paralysis, or other significant mobility issues.
(C)Loss of
hearing.
(D)Traumatic brain
injury.
(E)Post-traumatic
stress disorder.
(F)Any other
disability that the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs
consider appropriate.
(c)To be eligible to receive a grant under
this title, a nonprofit organization shall submit an application to the
Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs at such time, in
such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary of Defense and
the Secretary of Veterans Affairs may require. Such application shall
include—
(1)a
proposal for the evaluation required by subsection (d); and
(2)a
description of—
(A)the training that will be provided by the
organization to covered members and veterans;
(B)the training of dogs that will serve as
assistance dogs;
(C)the aftercare services that the
organization will provide for such dogs and covered members and
veterans;
(D)the plan for
publicizing the availability of such dogs through a targeted marketing campaign
to covered members and veterans;
(E)the recognized
expertise of the organization in breeding and training such dogs;
(F)the commitment of
the organization to comparable standards as that of the International Guide Dog
Federation or Assistance Dogs International;
(G)the commitment of the organization to
humane standards for animals; and
(H)the experience of the organization with
working with military medical treatment facilities or medical facilities of the
Department of Veterans Affairs.
(d)The
Secretary shall require each recipient of a grant to use a portion of the funds
made available through the grant to conduct an evaluation of the effectiveness
of the activities carried out through the grant by such recipient.
(e)In
this Act:
(1)The term assistance dog means
a dog specifically trained to perform physical tasks to mitigate the effects of
a disability described in subsection (b)(2), except that the term does not
include a dog specifically trained for comfort or personal defense.
(2)The term
covered members and veterans means—
(A)with respect to a
member of the Armed Forces, such member who is—
(i)receiving medical
treatment, recuperation, or therapy under chapter 55 of title 10, United States
Code;
(ii)in
medical hold or medical holdover status; or
(iii)covered under
section 1202 or 1205 of title 10, United States Code; and
(B)with respect to a veteran, a veteran who is
enrolled in the health care system established under section 1705(a) of title
38, United States Code.
(f)Authorization of
appropriationsThere is
authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act $5,000,000 for each of
fiscal years 2010 through 2014.