H.R. 5758: Enhancing Faith-Based Support for Veterans Act of 2025

This bill, known as the Enhancing Faith-Based Support for Veterans Act of 2025, seeks to change certain practices involving the communication between chaplains employed by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and religious or faith-based organizations. Here is a breakdown of the key aspects of the bill:

1. Purpose of the Bill

The primary aim of this bill is to enhance the support provided to veterans by allowing VA chaplains to voluntarily share patient contact information with chosen religious or faith-based organizations. This measure is intended to facilitate improved spiritual care for veterans by connecting them with organizations that align with their faith or spiritual needs.

2. Voluntary Information Sharing

Under the proposed legislation, a chaplain who conducts a spiritual assessment of a veteran can, if the veteran agrees, transmit that veteran's contact information to a religious or faith-based organization specified by the veteran. The key points in this provision include:

• The sharing of contact information is entirely voluntary and requires the express consent of the patient.
• The chaplain must have conducted a spiritual assessment of the patient prior to sharing their information.

3. Definition of Spiritual Assessment

The bill defines a "spiritual assessment" as an evaluation carried out by a VA chaplain to:

• Collect spiritual information about the patient.
• Inform the patient's medical treatment plan as necessary.

4. Impact on Veterans

This legislation aims to create better connections between veterans and faith-based organizations, potentially leading to enhanced emotional and spiritual support for those receiving medical treatment through the VA.

5. Legislative Process

The bill was introduced on October 14, 2025, by Representative Self and co-sponsored by Representative Ciscomani. After its introduction, it was referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs for consideration.

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