Bill > S1441

This bill, known as the Service Dogs Assisting Veterans Act of 2025 or the SAVES Act of 2025, requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish a five-year pilot program to award grants to nonprofit organizations. These grants will help these organizations provide service dogs to eligible veterans, defined as those with specific disabilities like blindness, mobility issues, hearing loss, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), traumatic brain injury (TBI), or other conditions where a service dog is deemed optimal for independent living. The nonprofit entities must submit detailed applications outlining their plans for training veterans and dogs, providing support, marketing the program, and adhering to humane and legal standards for service dogs, including those required by the Americans with Disabilities Act. The grants, capped at $2,000,000 per year unless adjusted for inflation or program needs with congressional notification, will fund programs that provide service dogs to eligible veterans, and recipients cannot charge veterans any fees. Furthermore, the Secretary will provide commercially available veterinary insurance for each service dog and may offer training and technical assistance to grant recipients. The bill authorizes $10,000,000 annually for this program.

Military Affairs and Security

https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/1441/all-info