Veterans and their families often go without VA benefits and services because the social workers, health staff, and community providers they encounter never think to ask whether they served. The 'Have You Served Act' creates a federal grant program — up to $200,000 per award, up to 25 grants per year — for states and Native American tribes that have developed a veteran suicide prevention plan. Grantees use the money to train human services professionals and local government workers on how to ask about military service and refer veterans to VA and community resources. Congress would authorize $6 million per year from 2026 through 2030 ($30 million total), and the VA would also be directed to coordinate with every other federal department and agency to implement the same outreach through any social service or health program where staff interact with the public.
Congressional Summary
Have You Served ActThis bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to provide grants to certain states (including U.S. territories and possessions and the District of Columbia), American Indian tribes, or Alaska Native tribes to carry out campaigns to encourage human services professionals, state and local governments, and community providers to ask consumers whether they or a loved one have served in the Armed Forces. To be eligible, a state, American Indian tribe, or Alaska Native tribe must develop and submit a veteran suicide prevention plan to the VA.Such grants must be used for training about (1) how to appropriately ask consumers whether they or a loved one have served in the Armed Forces, and (2) resources available through the VA or other providers for members of the Armed Forces and veterans to encourage the trained individuals to refer consumers to such resources.The VA must also develop a plan to work with each federal department and agency to implement similar campaigns.
Details
- Congress
- 119th
- Chamber
- House
- Status
- summarized
- Action
- Introduced in House
- Action Date
- 2025-11-10
- Date Added
- 2026-06-25
- Source
- Congress.gov →
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