I 
117TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1309 
To amend title 10, United States Code, to provide for eating disorders 
treatment for members of the Armed Forces and certain dependents 
of members and former members of the uniformed services, and for 
other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 24, 2021 
Mr. MOULTON (for himself, Mr. KATKO, Ms. ESCOBAR, Mr. DEUTCH, Mr. 
FITZPATRICK, Mr. CROW, Ms. CHU, Mr. COURTNEY, Ms. MCCOLLUM, 
Mr. RYAN, Mrs. AXNE, Mr. CONNOLLY, Miss RICE of New York, Mr. 
PRICE of North Carolina, Mr. RUSH, Mr. NEGUSE, Ms. SCANLON, Ms. 
SHERRILL, Mr. FOSTER, Mr. KEATING, Ms. OMAR, Mr. CLEAVER, and 
Mr. LEVIN of California) introduced the following bill; which was referred 
to the Committee on Armed Services, and in addition to the Committee 
on Veterans’ Affairs, for a period to be subsequently determined by the 
Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within 
the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To amend title 10, United States Code, to provide for eating 
disorders treatment for members of the Armed Forces 
and certain dependents of members and former members 
of the uniformed services, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Supporting Eating dis-
orders Recovery through Vital Expansion Act’’ or the 
‘‘SERVE Act’’. 
SEC. 2. EATING DISORDERS TREATMENT FOR CERTAIN 
MEMBERS OF THE ARMED FORCES AND DE-
PENDENTS. 
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 
(1) Eating disorders affect approximately 
30,000,000 Americans (or nine percent of the popu-
lation) during their lifetime, including individuals 
from every age, gender, body size, race, ethnicity, 
and socioeconomic status. 
(2) Eating disorders are severe, biologically 
based, mental illnesses caused by a complex inter-
action of genetic, biological, social, behavioral, and 
psychological factors. 
(3) Eating disorders result in the second high-
est case fatality rate of any mental illness, with one 
death occurring every 52 minutes as a direct result 
of an eating disorder due to serious medical co- 
morbidities and suicide. 
(4) Untreated eating disorders cost the econ-
omy of the United States $64.70 billion annually, 
with families and individuals experiencing an eco-
nomic loss of $23.50 billion annually. 
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(5) A study from the Armed Forces Health 
Surveillance Branch found that diagnoses of eating 
disorders among military personnel increased by 26 
percent from 2013 to 2016. Although accurate esti-
mates are challenging due to underreporting, the 
prevalence of eating disorders in the military is two 
to three times higher than in the civilian population. 
(6) The Defense Health Board found that fe-
male members of the Armed Forces on active duty 
experience high rates of eating disorders, which can 
adversely affect their readiness and health. 
(7) Risk factors for eating disorders in the mili-
tary include pressure to maintain weight and fitness 
standards, trauma, sexual harassment, weight stig-
matization, and post-traumatic stress disorder. 
(8) Family members of members of the Armed 
Forces have a higher prevalence of eating disorders 
than the general population, with 21 percent of chil-
dren and 26 percent of spouses of members of the 
Armed Forces found at risk of developing an eating 
disorder. 
(9) Research demonstrates a strong correlation 
between a military spouse and their adolescent 
child’s risk for an eating disorder. Adolescent female 
military dependents are more likely to be at risk for 
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an eating disorder if their non-military parent is at 
risk for an eating disorder. 
(b) EATING DISORDERS TREATMENT FOR CERTAIN 
DEPENDENTS.—Section 1079 of title 10, United States 
Code, is amended— 
(1) in subsection (a), by adding at the end the 
following new paragraph: 
‘‘(18) Treatment for eating disorders may be 
provided in accordance with subsection (r).’’; and 
(2) by adding at the end the following new sub-
section: 
‘‘(r)(1) The provision of health care services for an 
eating disorder under subsection (a)(18) shall include the 
following services: 
‘‘(A) Inpatient services, including residential 
services. 
‘‘(B) Outpatient services for in-person or tele-
health care, including partial hospitalization services 
and intensive outpatient services. 
‘‘(2) A dependent may be provided health care serv-
ices for an eating disorder under subsection (a)(18) with-
out regard to— 
‘‘(A) the age of the dependent, except with re-
spect to residential services under paragraph (1)(B), 
which may be provided only to a dependent who is 
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