H.R. 2605: SAVES Act

The SAVES Act would require the Department of Veterans Affairs to create a pilot program that awards competitive grants to nonprofit groups that provide service dogs to eligible veterans. The basic idea is simple: instead of the VA trying to build every part of this system itself, it would fund experienced outside organizations to train dogs, train veterans, and support successful placements.

The bill is aimed at veterans who are already connected to VA care and have been prescribed a service dog by the VA. It covers a broad range of needs, including blindness, hearing loss, major mobility challenges, PTSD, and traumatic brain injury. It also gives the VA room to include other conditions if medical judgment shows a service dog would help a veteran live more independently.

The proposal includes several guardrails. Nonprofits would have to show real experience training service dogs and doing so in line with Americans with Disabilities Act standards. They would also have to describe how they will market the program to veterans, provide humane treatment for dogs, and avoid charging veterans a fee for a dog funded by the program. The VA would have oversight powers and could require reports, surveys, and written responses from grant recipients.

Money is meaningful here. The bill authorizes $10 million per year for the pilot, with grants of up to $2 million per nonprofit. It also allows the VA to provide veterinary insurance for dogs placed through the program and keep that coverage going even if the pilot ends, unless the VA decides stopping it is in the best interest of the veteran, the dog, or the government. That makes this more than a one-time giveaway of dogs — it tries to build a support system around long-term use.