SB # 20504

IN THE SENATE

November 10^th, 2025

Presented by Senator Mazie Hirono of the State of Hawaii

A BILL

Be it enacted by the Senate of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the Support for Veterans ACT.

SECTION 2. STATEMENT OF PURPOSE/NEED

(1a) Realizing that in the Unites States, Veterans do not receive provided bereavement counseling as a part of their benefits, but their families do.

(2b) On average, there have been 1,400 deaths annually of people in active-duty military service since 1980.

(3c) Veterans are granted free PTSD counseling, but they need counselors specialized in grief and bereavement in order to process the trauma of witnessing fellow servicemen die.

(4d) Over 20 percent of soldiers reported difficulty coping with grief.

SECTION 3. PROVISIONS - BENEFITS AND ELIGIBILITY

(1) Must be a veteran of the United States Military.

(2) Must have experienced the death of a serviceman directly or indirectly.

(3) Must be evaluated to have difficulty relating to bereavement by a counselor.

(4) Once determined to be eligible, veterans will receive 1 to 2 sessions a week with a bereavement counselor until they develop the tools to effectively manage their grief and have been determined to have processed their grief.

SECTION 4. PROVISIONS - TERMS AND BENEFITS OF SERVICE

(1) If an individual is found to be falsifying their veteran status in order to receive these benefits, they will be charged with a misdemeanor as per the Stolen Valor Act of 2005.

(2) All veteran centers must provide qualifying veterans with access to bereavement counselors.

(3) Any veteran centers found withholding these benefits from qualifying veterans shall be subject to punishment determined by any legal recourse the affected party chooses to pursue.

SECTION 5. ADMINISTRATION (Government agencies and department to execute the law once its passed)

This program will be executed through the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Health and Human Services.

SOURCES (Provide the list of all sources used in researching the bill including name of source and website link if online)