Authorizes the department of veterans' affairs to provide eligible veterans with financial assistance for purchasing, training and the upkeep of service dogs and emotional support dogs.
NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A3149
SPONSOR: Hunter TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the veterans' services law, in relation to authorizing
the department of veterans' services to provide eligible veterans with
financial assistance for purchasing, training and the upkeep of service
dogs and emotional support dogs
PURPOSE OF BILL:
This bill will establish a program within the New York State Department
of Veterans' Affairs to provide grant assistance to veterans with post-
traumatic stress disorder and/or traumatic brain injuries for the
purchase, training, and upkeep of service dogs or emotional support
dogs.
SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:
Section 1: Adds a new section 368-a to the executive law that: defines
the terms "service dog" and "emotional support dog" for the purposes of
this new section; directs the Department of Veterans' Affairs to provide
grant assistance to eligible veterans for up to $7,500 for the purchase
and training of a service dog from an organization providing service
dogs, or up to $5,000 for the purchase and training of a service dog
from a professional service dog trainer or an owner-trainer, as well as
up to $50 a month for the continued upkeep of the service dog; directs
the Department of Veterans' Affairs to provide grant assistance of up to
$500 for the purchase and training of an emotional support dog, as well
as.up to $35 a month for the continued upkeep of the emotional support
dog; and establish eligibility for these grants as veterans who are
residents of New York State who have received a diagnosis from a
licensed physician or licensed mental health professional of post-trau-
matic stress disorder, a traumatic brain injury, or both, and have an
annual income of $50,000 or less. Section 2: Establishes the effective
date of 180 days after the law shall have taken effect.
JUSTIFICATION:
According to the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, reports
of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among veterans have skyrocketed
in recent years, with an estimated 11-20k of veterans employed during
Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and/or Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF)
suffering from PTSD. A factsheet published by the VA states that "with
respect to OIF/OEF Veterans, PTSD has been found to be a risk factor for
suicidal ideation," and that "a recent study found that among OIF/OEF
Veterans, those with subthreshold PTSD were 3 times more likely to
report hopelessness or suicidal ideation than those without PTSD.
The National Center for PTSD notes that for many people suffering from
PTSD, having exposure to dogs can be beneficial complement to evidence-
based treatment. This legislation would connect low-income veterans who
are suffering from PTSD or traumatic brain injury with grant assistance
to connect them with trained service dogs or emotional support animals.
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
2022: A7852
2016: A10589 referred to veterans' affairs
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
To be determined.
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth 'day after it
shall have become a law; provided, however the department of veterans'
affairs is authorized and directed to promulgate regulations to imple-
ment the provisions of this act immediately.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
3149
2023-2024 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
February 2, 2023
___________
Introduced by M. of A. HUNTER -- read once and referred to the Committee
on Veterans' Affairs
AN ACT to amend the veterans' services law, in relation to authorizing
the department of veterans' services to provide eligible veterans with
financial assistance for purchasing, training and the upkeep of
service dogs and emotional support dogs
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. The veterans' services law is amended by adding a new
2 section 29-b to read as follows:
3 § 29-b. Service dog and emotional support dog grant assistance. 1.
4 For the purposes of this section, the term "service dog" shall have the
5 same meaning as provided for in subdivision seven of section forty-sev-
6 en-b of the civil rights law.
7 2. For the purposes of this section, the term "emotional support dog"
8 shall mean a dog providing therapeutic support to an owner.
9 3. The department shall provide eligible veterans with: (a) grant
10 assistance of up to seven thousand five hundred dollars for the purchase
11 and training of a service dog from an organization providing service
12 dogs for post-traumatic stress disorder and/or traumatic brain injury;
13 or (b) grant assistance of up to five thousand dollars for the purchase
14 and training of a service dog from a professional service dog trainer or
15 an owner-trainer. The department shall provide eligible veterans receiv-
16 ing grant assistance pursuant to this subdivision with an amount of not
17 less than fifty dollars a month for the continued upkeep of the service
18 dog as long as the eligible veteran is in possession of the service dog.
19 4. The department shall provide eligible veterans with grant assist-
20 ance of up to five hundred dollars for the purchase and training of an
21 emotional support dog, as well as an amount of not less than thirty-five
22 dollars a month for the continued upkeep of the emotional support dog as
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD07812-01-3
A. 3149 2
1 long as the eligible veteran is in possession of the emotional support
2 dog.
3 5. To be eligible to receive grant assistance under this section, an
4 individual must:
5 (a) be a veteran, which, for the purposes of this section, shall mean
6 resident of this state who served on active duty in the United States
7 army, navy, marine corps, air force, coast guard or the reserves compo-
8 nent, or who served in active military service of the United States as a
9 member of the army national guard, air national guard, New York guard or
10 New York naval militia, who was released from such service other than by
11 dishonorable discharge;
12 (b) receive a diagnosis from a licensed physician or licensed mental
13 health professional of post-traumatic stress disorder, a traumatic brain
14 injury, or both, causing a disability as that term is defined in subdi-
15 vision twenty-one of section two hundred ninety-two of the executive
16 law;
17 (c) receive a letter from a licensed physician or licensed mental
18 health provider certifying that the individual would benefit from the
19 use of a service dog or emotional support dog; and
20 (d) have an annual income of fifty thousand dollars or less.
21 § 2. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after
22 it shall have become a law; provided however, if section 2 of part PP of
23 chapter 56 of the laws of 2022 shall not have taken effect on or before
24 such date, this act shall take effect on the same date and in the same
25 manner as such section of such part of such chapter of the laws of 2022
26 takes effect. Effective immediately, the addition, amendment and/or
27 repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implementation of
28 this act on its effective date are authorized to be made and completed
29 on or before such effective date.
