WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), member of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee (SVAC), joined his Senate colleagues in introducing the Service Dogs Assisting Veterans (SAVES) Act. This bipartisan legislation would establish a program to award grants to nonprofit organizations and assist them in providing service dogs to eligible veterans.

“From mobility to mental health, I’ve seen firsthand the meaningful change service dogs can have for veterans,” said Senator Cramer. “We should build on the success they have had by making more well-trained service dogs available to veterans who need them.”

Under the SAVES Act, nonprofit organizations would be required to submit an application to the Secretary and include the following information: a description of the organization’s training provided to eligible Veterans; training provided to service dogs; the organization’s aftercare services provided for the service dogs and eligible Veteran; the plan for publicizing the availability of service dogs through a marketing campaign; the commitment of the organization to have humane standards for animals.

The SAVES Act will require organizations to certify accreditation by Assistance Dogs International or another widely recognized accreditation organization.

Joining Senator Cramer are Senators Thom Tillis (R-NC), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), and Martin Heinrich (D-NM).

The SAVES Act is supported by Vietnams Veterans of America, Paralyzed Veterans of America, Blinded Veterans Association, National Military Families Association, TREA: The Enlisted Association, Jewish War Veterans of America, and K9s for Warriors.

"Service Dogs have a proven track record of providing life-saving assistance to veterans," said K9s For Warriors CEO, Carl Cricco. "The SAVES Act will ultimately put more Service Dogs in the hands of veterans in critical need, allowing them to regain their independence and reintegrate into civilian life. We applaud Senators Tillis, Blumenthal, Cramer, and Heinrich for their commitment to our nation's heroes and urge Congress to pass this important legislation without delay."

“Veterans deserve every possible resource to improve their mental health and well-being. Senator Tillis’ legislation will do that.  Not only will it help mitigate the circumstances that lead to Veteran suicide, but service dogs have also been proven to get Veterans back to leading productive lives," said Aniela Szymanski, Chief Policy Officer of the Chief Warrant and Warrant Officers Association of the US Coast Guard.

Background:

An estimated 20% of Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans have PTSD and more than 450,000 service members have been diagnosed with at least one traumatic brain injury over the past two decades. As a result, these Veterans suffer from alarmingly high rates of depression, anxiety, joblessness, homelessness, substance abuse and other negative behaviors, and roughly 20 veterans die by suicide each day.

In October 2021, Senator Cramer toured Service Dogs for America, the only Assistance Dogs International accredited program that does not have a wait list for medically approved applicants to receive their service dog. Once an applicant is medically approved, they can select their training dates. The industry standard wait list with other programs is estimated to be two to five years.