I 
112TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 943 
To establish a grant program to encourage the use of assistance dogs by 
certain members of the Armed Forces and veterans. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MARCH 8, 2011 
Ms. HIRONO (for herself, Mr. JONES, Mr. YOUNG of Alaska, Mr. LEWIS of 
California, Mr. KUCINICH, Mr. HINCHEY, Mr. GARAMENDI, Ms. WOOL-
SEY, Mr. LARSON of Connecticut, Mr. RYAN of Ohio, and Mr. CONNOLLY 
of Virginia) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on Armed Services, and in addition to the Committee on Veterans’ 
Affairs, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in 
each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdic-
tion of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To establish a grant program to encourage the use of assist-
ance dogs by certain members of the Armed Forces 
and veterans. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘K–9 Companion Corps 
Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. WOUNDED WARRIOR K–9 CORPS. 
(a) GRANTS AUTHORIZED.—Subject to the avail-
ability of appropriations provided for such purpose, the 
Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Veterans Af-
fairs shall jointly establish a program, to be known as the 
‘‘K–9 Companion Corps Program’’, to award competitive 
grants to nonprofit organizations to assist such organiza-
tions in planning, designing, establishing, and operating 
programs to provide assistance dogs to covered members 
and veterans. 
(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 de-
scribed 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. 
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(F) Any other disability that the Secretary 
of Defense and the Secretary of Veterans Af-
fairs consider appropriate. 
(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 Sec-
retary of Veterans Affairs at such time, in such manner, 
and containing such information as the Secretary of De-
fense 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 vet-
erans; 
(B) the training of dogs that will serve as 
assistance dogs; 
(C) the aftercare services that the organi-
zation 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; 
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(E) the recognized expertise of the organi-
zation in breeding and training such dogs; 
(F) the commitment of the organization to 
comparable standards as that of the Inter-
national Guide Dog Federation or Assistance 
Dogs International; 
(G) the commitment of the organization to 
humane standards for animals; and 
(H) the experience of the organization with 
working with military medical treatment facili-
ties or medical facilities of the Department of 
Veterans Affairs. 
(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) The term ‘‘assistance dog’’ means a dog 
specifically trained to perform physical tasks to miti-
gate the effects of a disability described in sub-
section (b)(2), except that the term does not include 
a dog specifically trained for comfort or personal de-
fense. 
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