,i  #aaith ,,congress  #b;d ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #iffd  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of  
,,representatives  ,july #ad1 #bjbf,mr4 
,van ,orden introduced the following    
bill2 which was referred to the         
,committee on ,oversight and ,government
 ,reform  ,a ,,bill  ,to require the    
establishment of a grant program to     
assist with certain veterinary expenses 
of retired ,federal working dogs1 and   
for other purposes4  #a4 ,short title   
,this ,act may be cited as the ,k-#i    
,hero ,act of #bjbf4  #b4 ,findings     
,congress finds the following3  7#a7 ,in
 #bjbb1 the ,government ,accountability 
,office report titled ,working ,dogs3   
,federal ,agencies ,need to ,better     
,address ,health and ,welfare           
7,,gao-#bc-ajddhi7 included a finding   
that1 as of #bjbb1 approximately #e1ajj 
working dogs were managed pursuant to   
#dj ,federal programs1 including as     
follows3  7,a7 #b1idb for the           
,department of ,homeland ,security1     
including-- 7i7 #a1jig for the          

,transportation ,security               
,administration1 carrying out duties    
relating to explosives detection2  7ii7 
#hfc for the ,united ,states ,border    
,patrol of ,united ,states ,customs and 
,border ,protection1 carrying out duties
 relating to human detection2  7iii7    
#dih for the ,office of ,field          
,operations of ,united ,states ,customs 
and ,border ,protection1 carrying out   
duties relating to human detection2     
7iv7 #aea for the ,office of ,training  
and ,development of ,united ,states     
,customs and ,border ,protection1       
carrying out duties relating to human   
detection2  7v7 #acj for the elements of
 ,united ,states ,customs and ,border   
,protection involved in agriculture     
activities1 carrying out duties relating
 to disease surveillance2  7vi7 #aaa for
 the ,united ,states ,secret ,service2  
7vii7 #gj for the ,federal ,protective  
,service1 carrying out duties relating  
to explosives detection2  7viii7 #ah for
 the ,united ,states ,coast ,guard1     

carrying out duties relating to         
explosives detection2 and  7ix7 #d for  
the ,federal ,emergency ,management     
,agency4  7,b7 #efd for the ,air ,force4
  7,c7 #dfi for the ,army4  7,d7 #cai   
for the ,navy4  7,e7 #ahi for the       
,marine ,corps4  7,f7 #adj for the      
,united ,states ,special ,operations    
,command4  7,g7 #cb for the ,national   
,security ,agency4  7,h7 #bd for the    
,pentagon ,force ,protection ,agency4   
7,i7 #ai for the ,national              
,geospatial-,intelligence ,agency4  7,j7
 #i for the ,national ,guard ,bureau4   
7,k7 #d for the ,defense ,intelligence  
,agency4  7#b7 ,a report of the         
,government ,accountability ,office     
titled ,medical ,conditions and ,care   
for ,end-of-,service ,military ,working 
,dogs 7,,gao-#ag-ceh71 issued in #bjag1 
included a finding that the average cost
 of care for a retired military working 
dog is an average of #a1ahb per fiscal  
year1 excluding the cost for specialty  
medical expenses required for such dogs1

 such as extensive surgeries from       
service-related injuries1 medical       
supplements vital for health1 and       
treatments for other illnesses          
accumulated through service4  7#c7      
,owners of retired ,federal working dogs
 are therefore required to rely on      
nonprofit organizations to assist in    
paying for such medical expenses4  7#d7 
,nonprofit organizations secure funds   
for such payments to owners via         
fundraising and donors1 but do not      
always receive the necessary amount of  
funds to assist owners in covering such 
medical expenses4  7#e7 ,awarding       
,federal grants to such nonprofits for  
such payments to owners would ensure the
 coverage of such necessary amounts4    
#c4 ,grant program for certain medical  
expenses of retired ,federal working    
dogs  7a7 ,grant program ,not later than
 ,october #a1 #bjbf1 the ,secretary of  
,defense and the ,secretary of ,homeland
 ,security shall jointly carry out a    
program under which the ,secretaries1 in

 coordination with the heads of other   
relevant ,federal departments and       
agencies1 may award grants to eligible  
nonprofit organizations to assist with  
the covered medical expenses of retired 
,federal working dogs 7in this section  
referred to as the program74  7b7       
,eligibility ,a nonprofit organization  
is eligible to receive a grant under the
 program if the primary activities of   
the nonprofit organization are to       
provide care for retired ,federal       
working dogs or financial assistance to 
the owners of such dogs for the purpose 
of covering the costs of covered medical
 expenses4  7c7 ,applications ,to       
receive a grant under the program1 an   
eligible nonprofit organization shall   
submit to the ,secretary of ,defense and
 the ,secretary of ,homeland ,security  
an application at such time1 in such    
manner1 and containing such information 
as the ,secretaries may require1        
including information that demonstrates 
that the nonprofit organization meets   

the eligibility requirements under such 
subsection4  7d7 ,limitations on grant  
amounts  7#a7 ,total amount limitation  
,the total amount of grants awarded     
under the program to an eligible        
nonprofit organization may not exceed   
#a1jjj1jjj per fiscal year4  7#b7       
,reduction in grant amounts ,if an      
eligible nonprofit organization does not
 expend the full amount of a grant      
awarded to such organization under the  
program for a fiscal year1 the grant    
amount awarded for any subsequent fiscal
 year shall be reduced by an amount     
equal to such unexpended amount4  7e7   
,use of grant amounts ,a grant awarded  
under the program may only be used for  
the purpose of covering the costs of    
covered medical expenses of retired     
,federal working dogs4  7f7 ,oversight  
7#a7 ,requirements ,in carrying out the 
program1 the ,secretary of ,defense and 
the ,secretary of ,homeland ,security   
shall jointly--  7,a7 develop data and  
statistics relating to health outcomes  

for retired ,federal working dogs1 to be
 used by eligible nonprofit             
organizations that receive a grant under
 the program2 and  7,b7 establish       
processes to monitor and document the   
amount of funding necessary to support a
 retired ,federal working dog with      
respect to covered medical expenses4    
7#b7 ,collection of information ,the    
,secretary of ,defense and the          
,secretary of ,homeland ,security shall 
collect such information from eligible  
nonprofit organizations that receive a  
grant under the program as the          
,secretaries determine appropriate to   
monitor and evaluate the use of grants1 
including to monitor health outcomes for
 each retired ,federal working dog      
supported by such a grant over a        
five-year period following the receipt  
of such grant4  7#c7 ,recipient reports 
required ,as a condition of receiving a 
grant under the program1 an eligible    
nonprofit organization shall agree to   
submit to the ,secretary of ,defense and

 the ,secretary of ,homeland ,security1 
on an annual basis for the duration of  
the period during which the eligible    
nonprofit organization uses such grant  
amounts1 a report describing the        
purposes for which such amounts were    
used4  7g7 ,reports to ,congress ,not   
later than ,october #a1 #bjbg1 and on an
 annual basis thereafter until          
,september #cj1 #bjca1 the ,secretary of
 ,defense and the ,secretary of         
,homeland ,security shall jointly submit
 to the appropriate congressional       
committees a report on the              
implementation of the program4 ,such    
report shall include the following3 7#a7
 ,an identification of the number of    
retired ,federal working dogs supported 
pursuant to a grant awarded under the   
program4  7#b7 ,an assessment of the    
average annual covered expenses for each
 retired ,federal working dog supported 
pursuant to such a grant1 and a         
description of how the ,secretaries used
 such average to determine grant        

amounts4  7#c7 ,a description of the    
disbursement of grant amounts awarded   
under the program with respect to       
categories of retired ,federal working  
dogs and eligible nonprofit             
organizations4  7h7 ,authorization of   
appropriations ,there is authorized to  
be appropriated to the ,secretary to    
carry out the program #e1jjj1jjj for    
each of fiscal years #bjbg through      
#bjca4  7i7 ,definitions ,in this       
section3  7#a7 ,the term appropriate    
congressional committees means-- 7,a7   
the ,committee on ,armed ,services and  
the ,committee on ,homeland ,security of
 the ,house of ,representatives2 and    
7,b7 the ,committee on ,armed ,services 
and the ,committee on ,homeland         
,security and ,governmental ,affairs of 
the ,senate4  7#b7 ,the term average    
annual covered expenses means the       
average amount of covered expenses for a
 retired ,federal working dog during a  
fiscal year4  7#c7 ,the term covered    
expense means any expense that derives  

from medical treatment or health care   
provided to a retired ,federal working  
dog1 including-- 7,a7 any expense       
resulting from the treatment by a       
veterinarian of an injury1 illness1 or  
other health condition1 regardless of   
whether such condition manifested in    
such dog during the period in which such
 dog conducted work on behalf of a      
,federal department or agency2 and  7,b7
 any expense relating to a medical      
procedure1 diagnostic test1 medication1 
medical supplement1 or dietary          
alternative necessary to preserve and   
maintain the health of such dog4  7#d7  
,the term eligible nonprofit            
organization means a nonprofit          
organization that meets the eligibility 
criteria under subsection 7b74  7#e7    
,the term retired ,federal working dog  
means any dog previously owned and      
managed by a ,federal department or     
agency and assigned work on behalf of   
such department or agency1 that is      
retired from such work4