Amata-Cosponsored Service Dogs for Veterans Act Advances

Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Uifa’atali Amata, who serves as Vice Chairman of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee (HVAC), was an original cosponsor upon introduction in April of the Service Dogs Assisting Veterans Act, known as the SAVES Act. This week, the full Committee passed the bill, which will proceed to future consideration by the House.

“This bill substantially expands on our prior efforts to provide Veterans with trained service dogs, and builds on those successful outcomes,” said Vice Chairman Amata. “I cosponsored other good bills in previous Congresses, such as the PAWS for Veterans Therapy Act, and the results have been encouraging. Service Dogs are a blessing to many Veterans’ lives, and we can make this wonderful possibility available to thousands more Veterans to benefit from this aid and companionship.”

Under this legislation, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs would award grants to nonprofit organizations supporting programs providing service dogs to eligible veterans. This includes training for the service dogs, and extending the availability of this program to veteran disabilities, such as blind, deaf, traumatic brain injuries (TBI), military sexual trauma, paralysis, and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

At introduction by Rep. Morgan Luttrell (R-TX) with Morgan McGarvey (D-KY), the bill was supported by a bipartisan group of 24 Members of Congress, which continues to expand. 

The previous PAWS for Veterans Therapy Act, signed into law in 2021 after four years of congressional efforts, focused on Veterans learning to train their own or others’ dogs, and this new bill takes into account that successful pilot program.

Some 20 percent of Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and more than 450,000 service members have been diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury over the past two decades. These veterans suffer from higher rates of depression, anxiety, joblessness, homelessness, substance use, and suicide. 

This bipartisan bill creates a VA grant program to fund nonprofit organizations providing trained service dogs to eligible veterans at no cost. The nonprofits must meet requirements, including training standards and aftercare services, and be accredited by Assistance Dogs International (ADI) or a similar organization. The program will support veterans with disabilities like PTSD, TBI, military sexual trauma, and more.

A host of veterans organizations have endorsed this legislation. Thousands of service dogs already help veterans with disabilities across the United States. Service dogs successfully assist with conditions like blindness, mobility impairments, PTSD, and traumatic brain injury. 

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