Sponsor
Derrick Van Orden
Representative · R-WI
Representative · R-WI
The bill provides targeted federal grants and data tracking to reduce veterinary costs and improve care for retired federal working dogs, but funding limits, per-recipient caps, administrative requirements, and increased federal spending mean many needs may remain unmet and program implementation could strain organizations and the budget.
Veterans and other adopters of retired federal working dogs will pay less out-of-pocket for veterinary care because federal grants fund nonprofits that assist with medical costs.
Retired federal working dogs will have improved access to veterinary services and potentially better health outcomes due to grant-funded support for care.
Establishes a predictable multi-year funding stream ($5M/year for FY2027–FY2031), giving nonprofits and owners more stable support for medical needs.
Authorized funding levels and program caps may be insufficient to meet nationwide or specialty medical needs, leaving many eligible dogs and their owners with unmet costs.
The $1,000,000 per-recipient annual cap could limit large nonprofits' ability to serve many dogs, constraining program reach and economies of scale.
Providing federal grants increases government spending and could create budgetary pressures or require offsets, which may affect taxpayers.
Based on analysis of 3 sections of legislative text.
Creates a DoD/DHS grant program to fund nonprofits that pay covered medical expenses for retired Federal working dogs, authorizing $5M/year for FY2027–FY2031.
Official title: To require the establishment of a grant program to assist with certain veterinary expenses of retired Federal working dogs, and for other purposes.
Introduced July 14, 2026 by Derrick Van Orden · Last progress July 14, 2026
Creates a federal grant program run jointly by the Secretaries of Defense and Homeland Security to award nonprofit organizations funds to help pay covered medical expenses for retired Federal working dogs. The program must be established by October 1, 2026 and is authorized $5 million per year for fiscal years 2027–2031. Grantees must primarily serve retired Federal working dogs or their owners, may receive up to $1,000,000 per year, and must track health outcomes (including five-year tracking per dog) and report annually while receiving funds; the Secretaries must monitor needs and provide annual joint reports to Congress through FY2031.