[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2067 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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118th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 2067
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 SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
June 21, 2023
Mr. Tillis (for himself, Mr. Blumenthal, Mr. Cramer, and Mr. Heinrich)
introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 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 PROGRAM TO AWARD GRANTS FOR THE
PROVISION OF SERVICE DOGS TO VETERANS.
(a) In General.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall require
the Under Secretary for Health of the Department of Veterans Affairs to
establish a program under which the Secretary shall award grants, on a
competitive basis, to nonprofit organizations to assist such
organizations in carrying out programs to provide service dogs to
eligible veterans.
(b) Applications.--
(1) In general.--To be eligible to receive a grant under
this section, a nonprofit organization shall submit an
application to the Secretary at such time, in such manner, and
containing such information as the Secretary may require.
(2) Elements.--An application submitted under paragraph (1)
shall include the following:
(A) A proposal for the evaluation required by
subsection (d).
(B) A description of the following:
(i) The training that will be provided by
the organization to eligible veterans.
(ii) The training of dogs that will serve
as service dogs.
(iii) The aftercare services that the
organization 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 organization to
have humane standards for animals.
(C) A statement certifying that the organization is
accredited by Assistance Dogs International or another
similar widely recognized accreditation organization
that the Secretary determines has accreditation
standards that meet or exceed the standards of
Assistance Dogs International.
(c) Use of Funds.--
(1) In general.--The recipient of a grant under this
section shall use the grant amounts to plan, design, establish,
or operate (or any combination thereof) one or more programs
that provide service dogs to eligible veterans.
(2) Equal access.--The Secretary shall require each
recipient of a grant under this section to provide equal access
to service dogs to eligible veterans who are women.
(d) Evaluations.--The Secretary shall require each recipient of a
grant under this section to conduct an evaluation of the effectiveness
of the activities carried out through the grant by such recipient.
(e) Maximum Amount.--The total amount of grants awarded to each
nonprofit organization under this section may not exceed $2,000,000.
(f) 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 of
Veterans Affairs established and operated under
section 1705(a) of title 38, United States
Code; and
(ii) has one or more disabilities described
in subparagraph (B).
(B) Disability described.--A disability 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.
(iii) Loss of hearing.
(iv) Traumatic brain injury.
(v) Post-traumatic stress disorder.
(vi) Military sexual trauma.
(vii) Any other disability that the
Secretary considers appropriate.
(2) Service dog.--
(A) In general.--The term ``service dog'' means any
dog that is individually trained to do work or perform
tasks that are--
(i) for the benefit of an individual with a
disability, including a physical or sensory
disability or a psychiatric, intellectual, or
other mental disability; and
(ii) directly related to the disability of
the individual.
(B) Work and tasks.--The crime-deterrent effects of
the presence of a dog and the provision by a dog of
emotional support, well-being, comfort, or
companionship do not constitute work or tasks for the
purposes of subparagraph (A).
(g) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be
appropriated to carry out this Act $10,000,000 for each of fiscal years
2024 through 2028.
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