SAVES Act of 2025
Sponsored By: Senator Tillis, Thomas [R-NC]
In Committee
Summary
Would expand access to trained service dogs for veterans by creating a VA pilot grant program that pays nonprofits to provide, train, and support service dogs tied to veterans’ disabilities. The pilot would fund training for dogs and veterans and require outreach and animal welfare standards.
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- Veterans: Eligible veterans with listed disabilities would receive service dogs and training at no charge and would get a commercially available veterinary insurance policy for the dog that continues even if the pilot ends.
- Nonprofit grantees: Nonprofits would apply for grants to run covered programs that train dogs, train veterans, and publicize services; individual grants would be capped at $2 million per fiscal year with authority to raise that cap for inflation or program needs.
- Program operations and oversight: The VA would establish the pilot within 24 months and run it for five years from the first grant, set administrative expense limits, monitor grantees, and provide technical assistance and reporting requirements.
*Authorizes $10 million per year for five years to carry out the pilot.*
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
1 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
Service dogs and vet care for veterans
If enacted, the bill would require VA to start a pilot to give service dogs to eligible veterans. The VA would set up the pilot within 24 months and run it for five years after the first grant is awarded. The bill would authorize $10 million per year for five years to fund competitive grants to nonprofits. Each nonprofit grant could be up to $2,000,000 per fiscal year. VA could raise that limit if needed, but must give 30 days' written notice to the House and Senate Veterans' Affairs Committees. Grants would fund training for dogs and veterans, outreach, and humane and ADA-compliant standards. Recipients may not charge veterans fees for dogs provided through the grant. VA would give each veteran a commercial veterinary insurance policy for the service dog and would continue that policy for that veteran even if the pilot stops. Eligible veterans would be those a physician finds have disabilities such as vision loss, major mobility loss, hearing loss, PTSD, or traumatic brain injury.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Tillis, Thomas [R-NC]
NC • R
Cosponsors
Sen. Blumenthal, Richard [D-CT]
CT • D
Sponsored 4/10/2025
Sen. Cornyn, John [R-TX]
TX • R
Sponsored 4/10/2025
Sen. Durbin, Richard J. [D-IL]
IL • D
Sponsored 4/10/2025
Sen. Cramer, Kevin [R-ND]
ND • R
Sponsored 4/10/2025
Elissa Slotkin
MI • D
Sponsored 4/10/2025
Sen. King, Angus S., Jr. [I-ME]
ME • I
Sponsored 4/10/2025
Sen. Rosen, Jacky [D-NV]
NV • D
Sponsored 4/10/2025
Sen. Shaheen, Jeanne [D-NH]
NH • D
Sponsored 4/10/2025
Charles Schumer
NY • D
Sponsored 4/29/2025
Sen. Budd, Ted [R-NC]
NC • R
Sponsored 5/6/2025
Sen. Luján, Ben Ray [D-NM]
NM • D
Sponsored 6/2/2025
Sen. Padilla, Alex [D-CA]
CA • D
Sponsored 6/2/2025
Sen. Booker, Cory A. [D-NJ]
NJ • D
Sponsored 6/2/2025
Sen. Heinrich, Martin [D-NM]
NM • D
Sponsored 6/2/2025
Sen. Hirono, Mazie K. [D-HI]
HI • D
Sponsored 6/12/2025
Sen. Coons, Christopher A. [D-DE]
DE • D
Sponsored 7/17/2025
Sen. Schiff, Adam B. [D-CA]
CA • D
Sponsored 7/17/2025
Sen. Cortez Masto, Catherine [D-NV]
NV • D
Sponsored 7/22/2025
Sen. Baldwin, Tammy [D-WI]
WI • D
Sponsored 7/23/2025
Sen. Hassan, Margaret Wood [D-NH]
NH • D
Sponsored 7/29/2025
Sen. Alsobrooks, Angela D. [D-MD]
MD • D
Sponsored 7/30/2025
Sen. Duckworth, Tammy [D-IL]
IL • D
Sponsored 9/3/2025
Shelley Capito
WV • R
Sponsored 9/9/2025
Sen. Husted, Jon [R-OH]
OH • R
Sponsored 10/3/2025
Sen. Cantwell, Maria [D-WA]
WA • D
Sponsored 3/10/2026
Sen. Ossoff, Jon [D-GA]
GA • D
Sponsored 3/10/2026
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
View on Congress.gov