US SB1441

Secretary of Veterans Affairs must establish a 5-year pilot program within 24 months to award competitive grants to nonprofit organizations providing service dogs to eligible veterans with disabilities including blindness, PTSD, traumatic brain injury, hearing loss, or mobility impairments

Grants are capped at $2,000,000 per nonprofit per fiscal year, with $10,000,000 authorized annually for five consecutive fiscal years following program establishment

Veterans receiving service dogs through the program pay no fees and receive commercially available veterinary insurance policies from the VA, which continue even after the pilot program ends

Nonprofit grant applicants must demonstrate ADA-compliant service dog training experience, humane animal standards, veteran training programs, and marketing plans to reach eligible veterans

Eligible veterans must have physician-verified disabilities; service dogs must be individually trained to perform tasks directly related to the veteran's specific disability, condition, or diagnosis