H.R. 5995 · Where this bill is now
In committee
Introduced in the House, sent to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, Nov 10, 2025
What this bill does
In plain words · AI-written from the official summaryGrants to encourage asking about military service
Ever wondered how many people you meet daily have served in the military. This bill asks the VA to give grants to states and tribal nations that want to run campaigns teaching human services workers, government employees, and community helpers how to ask their clients whether they or a loved one served in the Armed Forces. The idea is to connect more veterans and service members to VA resources and suicide prevention support. The bill also directs the VA to work with other federal agencies to run similar campaigns.
How it affects you
Veterans and active service members may feel the most direct benefit if these campaigns help them discover mental health and suicide prevention resources they didn't know existed. Human services professionals, social workers, and community workers in participating states and tribal nations will receive training on how to have these conversations. Most people outside those roles or areas won't see a direct change in their daily lives.
Read the official summary (Introduced in House, Nov 10, 2025)
Have You Served Act
This 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.
Written by AI (Claude) using only the official summary by the Congressional Research Service, the Library of Congress’s nonpartisan research staff. It can miss nuance, so check the official summary and the bill text for details.
1st SessionH. R. 5995
A BILL
Have You Served Act
Sponsor: Rep. Julia Brownley (D-CA-26) · Introduced Nov 10, 2025 · Armed Forces and National Security · 1 version of the text
Sources: Congress.gov actions and votes · bill text from GovInfo · latest official action Dec 9, 2025: “Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.”