The AAHA Helping Pets Fund (the Fund) is the benevolent arm of the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) Foundation, a nonprofit organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c) 3 of the Internal Revenue Code. The Fund is the funding source for financial assistance to veterinarians and pet owners in the United States and Canada. This document provides guidelines for those interested in seeking financial aid for veterinary care for sick or injured pets.

• Eligibility
• Funding Limits
• Application Process
• Payment

Eligibility

AAHA-accredited veterinarians may apply for funding to support cases that meet certain client, treatment, and patient eligibility criteria.

Client Eligibility
To be eligible for grant award, a case must fit into one of the following categories of client eligibility, financial hardship or Good Samaritan.

1. Financial Hardship – There are two methods of proving eligibility in this category.
   1. Documented financial hardship – Pet owners receiving one of the following forms of government assistance for low income individuals or families are eligible. In these cases, documentation proving current participation (i.e., a copy of the approval letter) in one of the following government assistance programs must be submitted with a grant application.
      
      

      United States Supplemental Security Income Medicaid Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Food Stamps & Unemployment combined

      Canada Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS) Old Age Security (OAS) Allowance Old Age Security (OAS) Allowance for the Survivor National Child Benefit Supplement (NCBS) Employment Insurance (EI)

   
   
   2. Temporary financial hardship – Under rare circumstances, pet owners experiencing temporary financial hardship may be eligible. The financial hardship must be unrelated to the veterinary expenses themselves. A letter or email authorized by the veterinarian that describes the circumstances causing the financial hardship must be submitted with the grant application. Supporting documentation from an impartial third party is also required.
   
   
2. Good Samaritan cases – Assistance is available to support cases where the veterinary practice is taking responsibility for a pet. In these cases, a letter or email signed or authorized by the veterinarian attesting to the circumstances of the case is submitted with a grant application.

Treatment Eligibility
The Fund will award a grant only for needed medical care (non-elective or emergency procedures) for sick or injured companion animals. Routine physical examinations, vaccinations, etc. will not be funded. General prophylactic dental care will not be funded. Spays and neuters will not be funded, unless it can be demonstrated that the procedure is essential to the continued health of the animal.

Patient Eligibility
The Fund provides financial assistance to treat any animal whose primary purpose is companionship, without restricting the type of animal species. To be eligible, the animal must be sick, injured, or in need of emergency care.

Funding Limits

Due to limited funding availability, grants are only available through AAHA-accredited practices.

Veterinary practices are eligible for up to $500 per calendar year for financial hardship cases and $200 per calendar year for Good Samaritan cases. Practices may submit as many applications as necessary to reach the annual funding limits.

No family can receive more than $500 through an AAHA-accredited practice in a calendar year. No family can receive more than the lifetime grant maximum of $1,000 through AAHA-accredited practices.

Application Process

Determining need
In considering whether to apply for a grant from the Fund, veterinary practices are encouraged to ascertain fully whether a client can afford all or part of the expected cost of care. Only once it is determined that a client is truly unable to pay should the option of applying for an AAHA Helping Pets Fund grant be introduced. In this way, practices can help ensure financial support is available for those most in need.

Submitting an application
AAHA-accredited veterinary practices may apply for a grant from the AAHA Helping Pets Fund on behalf of their clients. No practice is obligated to apply to the program, but those interested in participating may do so by submitting a completed grant application. Applications must include sufficient information to clearly determine client and treatment eligibility, including client eligibility and patient diagnosis and treatment information. All applications must be accompanied by a detailed cost estimate showing fees for required treatment. Applications must also be submitted within 3 weeks of treatment, if treatment has already taken place.

Application status notification
For documented financial hardship and Good Samaritan cases, the Fund will make every effort to notify the veterinary practice of application status within 24 hours of receipt of a completed application, or the next business day if the application is received when our office is closed.

For temporary financial hardship applications, notification of grant application status will be made within one month of receipt of a completed application by the Fund.

Upon notification of grant approval, practices are required to complete Internal Revenue Service form W-9, Request for Taxpayer Identification Number and Certification, and submit it to the Fund.

Application deadline
Completed applications must be received by the Fund no later than three weeks following the start of treatment. For ongoing treatment, applications must be received no later than three weeks following initial treatment. Applications received after this deadline will not be considered.

Applicants are encouraged to submit their application as early as possible prior to scheduled treatment. The Fund recognizes that in emergency situations it may not be possible to collect all required eligibility information to submit a completed application prior to treatment. In such circumstances, veterinary practices will have to decide whether to proceed with the treatment and subsequently submit an application. The Fund cannot approve funding without a completed grant application.

The Fund shall have the discretion to deny any grant application it deems inappropriate or that does not maximize benefit from the financial resources of the Fund.

Payment

Once treatment is provided, the veterinary practice submits a detailed invoice showing required treatment and fees to the Fund by fax or regular mail. Payment will be made directly to the veterinary practice. The Fund will pay in full invoices that do not exceed established funding limits (see Funding Limits section above). For invoices exceeding established funding limits, the Fund will pay the annual funding limit. The veterinary practice may make arrangements with the client for payment of any balance above the annual funding limit or write off the balance.

If you are an AAHA Accredited Practice, click here for a grant application form (AAHA Login Required).

Thank You!