Wounded Warrior Service Dog Act of 2017

To establish a grant program to encourage the use of assistance dogs by certain members of the Armed Forces and veterans. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Wounded Warrior Service Dog Act of 2017 2. Wounded Warrior K–9 Corps (a) Grants authorized Subject to the availability of appropriations provided for such purpose, the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall jointly establish a program, to be known as the K–9 Service Corps Program (b) Use of funds (1) In general The recipient of a grant under this section shall use the grant to carry out programs that provide assistance dogs to covered members and veterans who have a disability described in paragraph (2). (2) Disability A disability described in this paragraph is any of the following: (A) Blindness or visual impairment. (B) Loss of use of a limb, paralysis, or other significant mobility issues. (C) Loss of hearing. (D) Traumatic brain injury. (E) Post-traumatic stress disorder. (F) Any other disability that the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs consider appropriate. (3) Timing of award The Secretaries may not award a grant under this section to reimburse a recipient for costs previously incurred by the recipient in carrying out a program to provide assistance dogs to covered members and veterans unless the recipient elects for the award to be such a reimbursement. (c) Eligibility To be eligible to receive a grant under this section, a nonprofit organization shall submit an application to the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs may require. Such application shall include— (1) a proposal for the evaluation required by subsection (d); and (2) a description of— (A) the training that will be provided by the organization to covered members and veterans; (B) the training of dogs that will serve as assistance dogs; (C) the aftercare services that the organization will provide for such dogs and covered members and veterans; (D) the plan for publicizing the availability of such dogs through a targeted marketing campaign to covered members and veterans; (E) the recognized expertise of the organization in breeding and training such dogs; (F) the commitment of the organization to humane standards for animals; and (G) the experience of the organization with working with military medical treatment facilities or medical facilities of the Department of Veterans Affairs; and (3) a statement certifying that the organization— (A) is accredited by Assistance Dogs International, the International Guide Dog Federation, or another similar widely recognized accreditation organization that the Secretaries determine has accreditation standards that meet or exceed the standards of Assistance Dogs International and the International Guide Dog Federation; or (B) is a candidate for such accreditation or otherwise meets or exceeds such standards, as determined by the Secretaries. (d) Evaluation The Secretary shall require each recipient of a grant to use a portion of the funds made available through the grant to conduct an evaluation of the effectiveness of the activities carried out through the grant by such recipient. (e) Definitions In this Act: (1) Assistance dog The term assistance dog (2) Covered members and veterans The term covered members and veterans (A) with respect to a member of the Armed Forces, such member who is— (i) receiving medical treatment, recuperation, or therapy under chapter 55 (ii) in medical hold or medical holdover status; or (iii) covered under section 1202 or 1205 of title 10, United States Code; and (B) with respect to a veteran, a veteran who is enrolled in the health care system established under section 1705(a) of title 38, United States Code. (f) Authorization of appropriations There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act $5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2018 through 2022.

Summary: Wounded Warrior Service Dog Act of 2017 This bill directs the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs (VA) to jointly establish the K-9 Service Corps Program for the awarding of grants to assist nonprofit organizations in establishing, planning, designing, and/or operating programs to provide assistance dogs to certain members of the Armed Forces and veterans who have certain disabilities. An "assistance dog" is defined to mean a dog specifically trained to perform physical tasks to mitigate the effects of such a disability, except that such term does not include a dog specifically trained for comfort or personal defense.