H.R. 5995: Have You Served Act

The **Have You Served Act** aims to establish a grant program to support campaigns encouraging questions about military service among certain groups. Here are the main components of the bill:

Grants for Ask the Question Campaigns

The Secretary of Veterans Affairs will provide grants to eligible organizations to initiate **"Ask the Question Campaigns."** These campaigns will target human services professionals, state and local governments, and community service providers to ask whether individuals or their families have served in the Armed Forces.

Use of Funds

Entities receiving grants must use the funds for:

• Developing or expanding the Ask the Question Campaign by training individuals on:
• How to appropriately ask consumers about military service.
• Resources available for military members and veterans through the Department of Veterans Affairs and other service providers.
• Covering associated costs, including:
• Staffing.
• Technology.
• Marketing materials.
• Outreach efforts.
• Meetings and events.

Eligibility and Requirements

An **eligible entity** can be a State or an American Indian or Alaska Native tribe that meets specific criteria, including having a veteran suicide prevention plan or submitting a proposal for such a plan to the Secretary.

Technical Assistance

The Secretary will provide technical assistance to help these eligible entities carry out their campaigns. This support will include:

• Sharing best practices from previous campaigns.
• Providing information on local veterans' resources.
• Sharing screening protocols for assessing suicide risk and social determinants of health.
• Establishing key performance indicators for the training provided.

Grant Limits and Reporting

The Secretary is allowed to grant up to 25 awards each fiscal year from 2026 to 2030, with each grant not exceeding **$200,000**. Recipients must report their training outcomes annually and the Secretary must submit implementation reports to Congress.

Campaigns for Federal Agencies

The Secretary, alongside the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, is tasked with creating a plan for federal departments and agencies to incorporate Ask the Question Campaigns into their social service or health care programs where relevant.

Funding Authorization

The bill authorizes the appropriation of **$6 million** annually for the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to implement these campaigns from 2026 to 2030.

Definition of State

For the purposes of this bill, **"State"** includes all U.S. States, Territories, and possessions, along with the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.

Relevant Companies

None found.

This is an AI-generated summary of the bill text. There may be mistakes.