---
kind: "section"
citation: "42 U.S.C. § 5165g"
title: "42"
title_heading: "The Public Health and Welfare"
number: "5165g"
heading: "National veterinary emergency teams"
release: "119-102"
date: "2026-07-12"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/42/5165g"
units:
  - "Chapter 68 — Disaster Relief"
  - "Subchapter III — Major Disaster and Emergency Assistance Administration"
---

# §5165g. National veterinary emergency teams

- (a) **In general—** The [Administrator](/usc/42/5195a.md?p=a-7) of the Federal [Emergency](/usc/42/5122.md?p=1) Management [Agency](/usc/42/8262.md?p=1) may establish one or more national veterinary [emergency](/usc/42/5122.md?p=1) teams at accredited colleges of veterinary medicine.
- (b) **Responsibilities—** A national veterinary [emergency](/usc/42/5122.md?p=1) team shall—
  - (1) deploy with a team of the National Urban Search and Rescue Response System to assist with—
    - (A) veterinary care of canine search teams;
    - (B) locating and treating companion animals, service animals, livestock, and other animals; and
    - (C) surveillance and [treatment](/usc/42/11851.md?p=11) of zoonotic diseases;
  - (2) recruit, train, and certify veterinary professionals, including veterinary students, in accordance with an established set of plans and standard operating guidelines to carry out the duties associated with planning for and responding to [major disasters](/usc/42/5122.md?p=2) and [emergencies](/usc/42/5122.md?p=1) as described in [paragraph (1)](#b-1);
  - (3) assist [State](/usc/42/5122.md?p=4) governments, [Indian tribal governments](/usc/42/5122.md?p=6), [local governments](/usc/42/5122.md?p=8), and [nonprofit](/usc/42/300s–3.md?p=3) organizations in developing [emergency](/usc/42/5122.md?p=1) management and evacuation plans that account for the care and rescue of animals and in improving local readiness for providing veterinary medical response during an [emergency](/usc/42/5122.md?p=1) or [major disaster](/usc/42/5122.md?p=2); and
  - (4) coordinate with the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Agriculture, [State](/usc/42/5122.md?p=4), local, and [Indian tribal governments](/usc/42/5122.md?p=6) (including departments of animal and human health), veterinary and health care professionals, and volunteers.

## Source credit

(Pub. L. 115–254, div. D, § 1218, Oct. 5, 2018, 132 Stat. 3452.)

## Notes

### Editorial Notes

### Codification

Section was enacted as part of the Disaster Recovery Reform Act of 2018 and as part of the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018, and not as part of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act which comprises this chapter.

### Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

### Effective Date

Authorities provided under div. D of Pub. L. 115–254, which enacted this section, applicable to each major disaster and emergency declared by the President under Pub. L. 93–288 on or after Jan. 1, 2016, except as otherwise provided, see section 1202(b) of Pub. L. 115–254, set out in an Effective Date of 2018 Amendment note under section 5121 of this title.

### Definitions

For definition of “State” as used in this section, see section 1203 of Pub. L. 115–254, set out as a note under section 5122 of this title.