New York A 5080: 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

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A05080 Summary:

BILL NOA05080 

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SAME ASNo Same As

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SPONSORHunter

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COSPNSRRaga, Burdick, Angelino

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MLTSPNSR

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Add §29-c, Veterans' Services L

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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.

Go to top A05080 Actions:

BILL NOA05080 

&nbsp

02/12/2025referred to veterans' affairs

01/07/2026referred to veterans' affairs

Go to topA05080 Committee&nbspVotes:

Go to topA05080 Floor&nbspVotes:

There are no Assembly votes for this bill in this legislative session.

Go to topA05080 Text:

 STATE OF NEW YORK
 ________________________________________________________________________

 5080

 2025-2026 Regular Sessions

 IN ASSEMBLY

 February 12, 2025
 ___________

 Introduced by M. of A. HUNTER, RAGA, BURDICK -- 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-c to read as follows:
 3 § 29-c. 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.
 LBD08596-01-5

 A. 5080 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. Effective immediately, t