What's happening
This bill requires social services to provide at least $50 per month for food and veterinary costs for eligible individuals with guide, hearing, or service dogs.
Why it matters
Provides direct financial assistance for essential care. By guaranteeing at least $50 per month for food and veterinary expenses, this law helps offset the significant, recurring costs associated with maintaining a guide, hearing, or service dog, making it more feasible for people with disabilities to own and care for these animals.
Expands who qualifies for support. The new language covers individuals eligible for various public assistance programs (like SSI, SNAP, or Medicaid), potentially reaching a broader population of disabled New Yorkers who rely on service animals for daily living.
Clarifies and modernizes the definition of a “service dog”. The bill adopts an inclusive definition, covering any dog (regardless of certification status) trained to help with a disability, reducing bureaucratic barriers for those whose dogs may not have traditional documentation.
Guarantees state reimbursement to local agencies. By mandating full state reimbursement for both benefits and administrative costs, the law removes financial disincentives for local social services offices, promoting consistent implementation across New York.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Help for Service Dog Costs
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
1 Co-sponsor
History
- Referred to social services
- Referred to social services
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
1593
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 10, 2025
Introduced by M. of A. ROSENTHAL, OTIS -- read once and referred to the Committee on Social Services
AN ACT to amend the social services law, in relation to assistance for guide dogs, hearing dogs and service dogs and to repeal section 303-a of such law relating thereto
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Section 303-a of the social services law is REPEALED and a new section 131-y is added to read as follows:
§ 131-y. Assistance for guide dogs, hearing dogs and service dogs. 1. It shall be the duty of the social services official to provide assistance, in accordance with regulations of the department, to a person with a disability using a guide dog, hearing dog or service dog who has been determined to be eligible for or is receiving, including but not limited to, federal supplemental security income benefits, supplemental nutrition assistance program benefits, medical assistance for needy persons and/or additional state payments under this chapter, for the purchase of food and the cost of veterinarian expenses for such dog.
2. Such regulations of the department shall fix an amount of not less than fifty dollars a month, and the method and frequency of distribution and procedures for the determination and periodical redetermination of eligibility for such assistance.
3. Such assistance shall not be granted to any person for whom earned income has been exempted for such purpose pursuant to federal law or regulation.
4. The full amount properly expended by social services districts under this section, including costs of administration, shall be reimbursed by the state.
5. For purposes of this section, "service dog" shall mean any dog, regardless of certification, under the control of the person using or
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD04670-01-5
training it and that has been or is being individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of a person with a disability.
§ 2. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after it shall have become a law.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.