Back to Dashboard
S-1204Senate2025-12-19Armed Forces and National Security

Gold Star and Surviving Spouse Career Services Act

YourVoice.Now Summary

Your MoneyWorkers & Jobs

Some military spouses could get free help finding a job — veterans would still come first in line.

Your Money

Job help for military spouses — surviving and disabled veterans' spouses

Right now this free job help goes to veterans only. It would also go to the spouse of a service member who died on duty, or of a veteran with a total, lasting disability.

Workers & Jobs

Spouses added to job counselors' caseload — disabled veterans still come first

The same state counselors would handle both groups, and the bill adds no money for extra staff. Veterans with disabilities keep the top two spots in line, and spouses join the last group.

More about this bill

Free job-search help would open to some military spouses. That includes spouses of service members who died on duty. It also includes spouses of veterans left totally and permanently disabled by their service. Spouses of troops missing or held captive more than 90 days could qualify too. The help comes from the Disabled Veterans' Outreach Program. The Labor Department oversees it, and states hire the counselors. Those counselors find job openings and help write resumes and cover letters for them. Right now they may serve only veterans. Under the bill, veterans with disabilities would still come first in line. Spouses would join the last priority group, alongside other veterans who qualify. The bill adds no new money for the program. It names no start date. The Senate passed it in December 2025, and it now waits on the House.

Congressional Summary

This bill expands eligibility for the Disabled Veterans’ Outreach Program to the spouses of certain veterans and members of the Armed Forces. Such program is administered by the Department of Labor and generally provides career and employment services to disabled veterans.The bill expands eligibility for the program to spouses ofpersons who died while members of the Armed Forces;persons who died of a service-connected disability;members of the Armed Forces serving on active duty who, for more than 90 days, are listed as missing in action, captured by a hostile force, or forcibly detained or interned in the line of duty by a foreign government power;persons who have a total permanent disability resulting from a service-connected disability; andpersons who died while an evaluated total disability was in existence.

Legislative Subjects

Military personnel and dependentsVeterans' education, employment, rehabilitationVeterans' pensions and compensation

Details

Congress
119th
Chamber
Senate
Status
summarized
Action
Held at the desk.
Action Date
2025-12-19
Date Added
2026-04-10
Source
Congress.gov →

Like reading a bill in plain English?

We're building an app that does this for every bill in Congress and lets you tell your reps how you want them to vote. We're a small team getting ready to launch, and we're trying to show investors that real people want this. Be one of them. Help us get it built. Leave your email and we'll tell you the moment the app is ready.

By default, we'll only email you once — when the app launches. Unless you opt in below, you won't receive anything else. We don't share or sell your email.