Helpful Resources and Links
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- Get updates on DOVE’s work to improve access to living kidney donation for veterans and opportunities to help.
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Digital Storytelling Project for Living Donors, Recipients, and Veterans Awaiting a Transplant:
DOVE recently partnered with Dr. Amy Waterman and her team at Houston Methodist to help create a unique collection of stories from the veteran community. The Living Donation Storytelling Project was created to serve as a resource for people across the country who want to better understand the living donation journey, for those seeking a donor, and those who’ve received a donation.
- Click here to share your story for the Living Donor Storytelling Project.
- In the “How did you hear about us?” section, select ‘Other’ and type in DOVE. This is how we’ll keep track of DOVE folks who record a story.
- We want you to know what you can expect as you go through the process of filming your story. Click the category to access prompts and questions for each story type:
- Once you’ve recorded your story, let us know so we can track when it’s live.
Living Donor Resources:
DOVE believes living kidney donation must be financially neutral. We will assess each donor’s situation and help navigate the web of resources available through the transplant centers, paired exchange programs, and other resources. If there are unmet needs, DOVE will utilize our own funds to fill in gaps to ensure the donor does not incur out of pocket (OOP) costs. Click here for an overview.
The National Living Donor Assistance Center (NLDAC) provides up to $6,000 of coverage for donor-related out-of-pocket expenses (lost wages, travel, child care). Eligibility used to be based on recipient income, and this is no longer the case! Click here to review NLDAC coverage and updates.
Attention Federal Employees: The federal government has a generous coverage policy for organ and bone marrow donors! Organ donors are eligible to receive 30 days of paid leave (completely separate from their annual leave) to recover from surgery. Bone marrow donors are eligible for 7 days of paid leave. Click here for more information.
Resources for Veterans Awaiting Transplant:
Learn more about DOVE by clicking here to view our introduction overview.
- The National Kidney Registry (NKR) is the largest U.S. paired exchange program. They have launched a pilot program called Veteran Shield to assist veterans who must travel to an NKR center for transplant and incur OOP expenses related to lodging and meals. Click here to learn more about the Veteran Shield policy.
- Many veterans use Community Care for support. Veterans are referred, evaluated, and approved for transplant care through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, including options for VA vs. community transplant centers, live donor coverage, travel benefits, and appeals. Click here to read over the Community Care Transplant Guidance.
- The Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients (SRTR) provides national data and analysis on transplant centers, waitlists, donors, and transplant outcomes to help patients and researchers better understand the U.S. transplant system. Sharyn is available to meet individually to support your SRTR research, and since most insurance plans cover multiple listings, it can be very beneficial to be listed at more than one transplant center in different regions. Read and compare info on the SRTR website by clicking here.
- Ever wondered why you should consider a kidney transplant? Mount Sinai’s Senior Clinical Operations Manager, Dr. Rafael Kim, explains why you should. Click here to read over his Kidney Transplant 101 briefing for patients.
Transplant Center Data:
UNOS collects all data that pertain to the waiting list, organ donation and transplantations occurring at all U.S. transplant centers. We encourage you to review the data of your transplant centers to understand their performance. This report provides updated numbers of transplant surgeries from living and deceased donors, and does not reflect transplant center outcomes. Learn more about the data by clicking here.
National and Local Policies Impacting Transplantation:
- We’re thrilled to share that as of January 2026, the HOLD (Honor Our Living Donors) Act has passed, and organ donors will soon be eligible for reimbursement compensation, REGARDLESS of their recipient’s income.
- The Living Donor Protection Act (S. 1552) still needs to pass in the House and Senate. The LDPA would protect living donors from discrimination when applying for life/disability/long-term care insurance and cover them under the FMLA. Contact your Congressional leaders and urge them to support S. 1552 in the Senate and companion bills H.R. 4583 and H.R. 4582 in the House. Click here to read more about this legislation.
Certain states permit donors to deduct expenses incurred in connection with their donations and recovery. Click here to see if you’re eligible for this deduction.
Form to authorize DOVE Transplant to use and disclose Private Health Information (PHI) for the following purposes:
Print and online distribution of recipient and donor campaigns, flyers, updates (DOVE Social Media sites, print publications, email publications and communications, brochures, website usage)
Broadcast, print and online news media
Educational materials, videos or presentations
Fundraising communications.
