
Thank you for submitting your Eligibility Survey. (If you have not yet done so, click here to fill one out.) The application process involves multiple steps and usually takes 4-6 months to complete. Here is what you can expect next:
- You must scan and email a copy of your most recent DD Form 214 (Member – 4 copy) to applicant@hero-dogs.org. If you are a first responder, we will contact you for equivalent verification of service.
- We will review your Eligibility Survey and DD-214 to verify that you are eligible for our program. If not, we will direct you to other resources that may help you find a program that can assist you.
- If you are eligible, we will send you an application packet containing:
- a blank Release of Medical Information form. You will fill out and sign one of these forms for EACH practitioner you currently see or have seen in the past 18 months for treatment related to your disability. Please return these forms first.
- an application form, and
- a list of supplemental documents to return with your application.
- After we receive your completed application and supplemental documents, we will obtain necessary medical records. In some cases, we will send a report form to the practitioners and ask them to fill it out and return it to us; in other cases it is more expedient for the applicant to obtain a complete copy of his/her medical record and have it sent to us.
- When necessary medical records have been received, your application package is passed to the Application Committee for review (see below).
The Application Review Process
- Applicant completes and returns all parts of the application package, including Release of Medical Information forms, supplemental documents, and a completed application. Read details.
- Medical records or reports from practitioners are obtained. Personal references are contacted.
- Application Committee reviews application package and makes recommendation whether or not to interview applicant. Read details.
- If recommended for an interview, applicant and primary support person come to Hero Dogs for a personal interview. Read details.
- Application Committee reviews interview reports and videotape and makes a recommendation whether or not to accept applicant into program. Read details.
- Home visit conducted for applicants recommended for acceptance. Read details.
If at any point in the process the Committee determines that an applicant is not a candidate for our program, the applicant will be informed in writing of their decision.
Please note that a recommendation for acceptance into the program DOES NOT guarantee that the applicant will ultimately be successfully partnered with a service dog. Dogs are matched with applicants based on the dog’s skills, strengths, temperament, and energy level, and the applicant’s needs, experience, personality, and lifestyle. There may be an indefinite wait for the right dog to become available for a particular applicant. Even after matching, the success of the partnership is dependent on many factors, not the least of which is the client’s commitment to the training process.