[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 9525 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 9525

    To require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to award grants to 
 nonprofit organizations to assist such organizations in carrying out 
 programs to provide service dogs to eligible veterans, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 10, 2024

 Mr. Luttrell (for himself, Mr. McGarvey, Mr. Hunt, Mr. Ciscomani, and 
Mr. Van Orden) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                     Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to award grants to 
 nonprofit organizations to assist such organizations in carrying out 
 programs to provide service dogs to eligible veterans, and for other 
                               purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Service Dogs Assisting Veterans 
Act'' or the ``SAVES Act''.

SEC. 2. DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS PILOT PROGRAM TO AWARD GRANTS 
              FOR THE PROVISION OF SERVICE DOGS TO VETERANS.

    (a) In General.--
            (1) Pilot program required.--Not later than 24 months after 
        the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of 
        Veterans Affairs shall establish a pilot program under which 
        the Secretary shall award grants, on a competitive basis, to 
        nonprofit entities to provide service dogs to eligible 
        veterans.
            (2) Duration.--The Secretary shall carry out the pilot 
        program during the five-year period beginning on the date on 
        which the first grant is awarded under this section.
    (b) Applications.--
            (1) In general.--To be eligible to receive a grant under 
        this section, a nonprofit entity shall submit an application to 
        the Secretary at such time, in such manner, and containing such 
        commitments and information as the Secretary may require.
            (2) Elements.--An application submitted under paragraph (1) 
        shall include the following:
                    (A) A proposal for the provision of service dogs to 
                eligible veterans, including how the nonprofit entity 
                will communicate with the Secretary to ensure an 
                increasing number of service dogs are provided to 
                veterans.
                    (B) A description of the following:
                            (i) The training that will be provided by 
                        the nonprofit entity to eligible veterans.
                            (ii) The training of dogs that will serve 
                        as service dogs.
                            (iii) Any additional support or services 
                        the nonprofit entity will provide for such dogs 
                        and eligible veterans.
                            (iv) The plan for publicizing the 
                        availability of such dogs through a marketing 
                        campaign that targets eligible veterans.
                            (v) The commitment of the nonprofit entity 
                        to have humane standards for animals.
                    (C) Documentation certifying that the nonprofit 
                entity is accredited by Assistance Dogs International 
                or the International Guide Dog Federation.
    (c) Award of Grants.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary shall award a grant to each 
        nonprofit entity for which the Secretary has approved an 
        application submitted under subsection (b)(1).
            (2) Agreement required.--Before the provision of any grant 
        amounts to a nonprofit entity selected to receive a grant under 
        this section, the Secretary shall enter into an agreement, 
        containing such terms, conditions, and limitations as the 
        Secretary determines appropriate, with such entity.
            (3) Grant amounts and intervals of payment.--The 
        Secretary--
                    (A) may establish a maximum amount to be awarded to 
                each nonprofit entity each fiscal year under this 
                section; and
                    (B) shall establish intervals of payment for the 
                administration of each grant awarded under this 
                section.
    (d) Use of Funds.--
            (1) In general.--A recipient of a grant under this section 
        shall 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.
            (2) Administrative expenses.--The Secretary may establish a 
        maximum amount for each grant awarded under this section that 
        may be used by the recipient of the grant to cover 
        administrative expenses.
            (3) Other conditions and limitations.--The Secretary may 
        establish other conditions or limitations on the use of grant 
        amounts under this section.
    (e) Requirements for Grant Recipients.--
            (1) Notifications and information.--A recipient of a grant 
        under this section shall--
                    (A) notify each veteran who receives a service dog 
                through such grant that the service dog is being paid 
                for, in whole or in part, by the Department of Veterans 
                Affairs; and
                    (B) inform each such veteran of the benefits and 
                services available from the Secretary for the veteran 
                and the service dog.
            (2) Prohibition on certain fees.--A recipient of a grant 
        under this section may not charge a fee to a veteran receiving 
        a service dog through such grant.
    (f) Process for Veterans With Mental Health Conditions.--
            (1) In general.--A veteran with a mental health condition 
        seeking a service dog from a recipient of a grant under this 
        section shall meet with a mental health provider of the 
        Department.
            (2) Evaluation and determination; request.--The mental 
        health provider and the care team of a veteran described in 
        paragraph (1) shall--
                    (A) evaluate the veteran and determine--
                            (i) whether the veteran has substantial 
                        mobility limitations;
                            (ii) whether the mental health condition of 
                        the veteran is the primary cause of such 
                        limitations; and
                            (iii) whether a service dog would be the 
                        optimal intervention or treatment approach for 
                        the veteran; and
                    (B) if the mental health provider and the care team 
                determine that a service dog would be the optimal 
                intervention or treatment approach for the veteran, 
                request a service dog from a recipient of a grant under 
                this section on behalf of the veteran through 
                coordination with the Prosthetic and Sensory Aids 
                Service of the medical center of the Department local 
                to the veteran.
    (g) Veterinary Insurance.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary shall provide to each 
        veteran who receives a service dog through a grant under this 
        section a commercially available veterinary insurance policy 
        for the service dog.
            (2) Continuation.--If the Secretary provides a veterinary 
        insurance policy to a veteran under paragraph (1), the 
        Secretary shall continue to provide the policy to the veteran 
        without regard to the continuation or termination of the pilot 
        program.
    (h) Training and Technical Assistance.--The Secretary may provide 
training and technical assistance to recipients of grants under this 
section.
    (i) Oversight and Monitoring.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary--
                    (A) shall establish such oversight and monitoring 
                requirements as the Secretary determines appropriate to 
                ensure that grant amounts awarded under this section 
                are used appropriately; and
                    (B) may take such actions as the Secretary 
                determines necessary to address any issues identified 
                through the enforcement of such requirements.
            (2) Reports and answers.--The Secretary may require each 
        recipient of a grant under this section to provide, in such 
        form as may be prescribed by the Secretary, such reports or 
        answers in writing to specific questions, surveys, or 
        questionnaires as the Secretary determines necessary to carry 
        out the pilot program.
    (j) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Eligible veteran.--
                    (A) In general.--The term ``eligible veteran'' 
                means a veteran who--
                            (i) is enrolled in the system of annual 
                        patient enrollment of the Department 
                        established and operated under subsection (a) 
                        of section 1705 of title 38, United States 
                        Code, or is otherwise entitled to hospital care 
                        and medical services under subsection (c)(2) of 
                        such section; and
                            (ii) has one or more disabilities, 
                        conditions, or diagnoses described in 
                        subparagraph (B).
                    (B) Disability, condition, diagnosis described.--A 
                disability, condition, or diagnosis described in this 
                subparagraph is any of the following:
                            (i) Blindness or visual impairment.
                            (ii) Loss of use of a limb, paralysis, or 
                        other significant mobility issue, including 
                        mental health mobility.
                            (iii) Loss of hearing.
                            (iv) Post-traumatic stress disorder.
                            (v) Traumatic brain injury.
                            (vi) Any other disability, condition, or 
                        diagnosis for which the Secretary 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.
            (2) Pilot program.--The term ``pilot program'' means the 
        pilot program required by subsection (a)(1).
            (3) Service dog.--The term ``service dog'' means any dog 
        that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks that 
        are--
                    (A) for the benefit of a veteran with a disability, 
                condition, or diagnosis described in paragraph (1)(B); 
                and
                    (B) directly related to the disability, condition, 
                or diagnosis of the veteran.
    (k) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section $10,000,000 for each of the five 
consecutive fiscal years following the fiscal year in which the pilot 
program is established under subsection (a).
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