Other
SAVES Act
This bill establishes a competitive grant program allowing nonprofit organizations to provide trained service dogs at no cost to eligible veterans with conditions such as PTSD, traumatic brain injuries, blindness, or mobility impairments. Veterans enrolled in VA healthcare who are prescribed a dog would receive the animal, handler training, and optional VA-funded veterinary health insurance to help cover the dog\'s medical care. The program authorizes up to $10 million annually from fiscal years 2027 through 2031, with individual grants capped at $2 million. To help pay for the program, the bill extends through February 2033 existing limits on monthly VA pension payments for certain single veterans living in Medicaid-covered nursing homes.
People affected—The total number of eligible veterans who will receive service dogs or be affected by the pension cap extension is not specified in the text.
Fiscal magnitude$50.0Mprovisional · pending reviewSec. 2(j) authorizes $10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2027 through 2031 ($50,000,000 total). The fiscal effect of the pension limitation extension in Sec. 3 is not stated in the text.
Reach24provisional · pending reviewrigor: heuristic llm
What this bill touches.
Spending vs. restraint+10Substance use & mental health+25Veterans' care delivery+20
Who it helps · who it burdens.
Who it helps
- Eligible veterans with service-connected or covered conditionsEligible veterans with covered disabilities (such as PTSD, TBI, blindness, hearing loss, or mobility impairments) can receive trained service dogs and training completely free of charge, as well as commercial veterinary health insurance for their dogs (Sec. 2(a), 2(c)(3), 2(f)).
- Nonprofit service dog organizationsCan receive competitive federal grants of up to $2,000,000 each, along with VA training and technical assistance, to fund programs that provide service dogs to veterans (Sec. 2(a), 2(d), 2(g)).
Who it burdens
- Participating nonprofit grant recipientsMust provide service dogs to veterans free of charge, demonstrate ADA-compliant training, meet humane care standards, follow VA caps on administrative costs, and submit mandatory progress reports and questionnaires (Sec. 2(b), 2(c), 2(e)(2), 2(h)).
- Veterans without dependents in Medicaid-covered nursing home careSubject to an extended statutory cap that limits their monthly VA pension payments through February 28, 2033 (Sec. 3).
Who backs it
- Federal taxpayersAuthorizes $10,000,000 in federal appropriations each year for fiscal years 2027 through 2031 to finance the VA service dog pilot grant program (Sec. 2(j)).