Q:

Are 'climb via a SID' instructions actually used in the US?

In the USA, a departing aircraft is instructed to climb:

to flight level and maintain, or
via standard instrument departure (SID)

That's according to US Aeronautical Information Publication (AIP). But pilots say they never hear climb via SID. Can anybody clarify if climb via SID instruction is really used by ATC?

A:

In my experience, I've received a climb via SID many times at airports like Las Vegas and Teterboro.  
This is common at certain airports, but a lot of airports don't use it because the procedures aren't designed that way. 
I think that a lot of pilots, especially those flying smaller non-turbine powered aircraft, don't receive this type of clearance because:

They are flying at smaller airports that don't have a SID which uses it, or
They are not assigned the SID's which do have it because the SID is only assigned to turbine-powered aircraft or aircraft capable of flight above a certain speed or altitude.

It is also a relatively new procedure in the US.  They were originally going to start using it in 2014, but it got delayed and was finally implemented a year or two ago (I don't remember exactly when).  For a while, the US was only using "descend via" clearances, and not "climb via" clearances.
Here are a couple of resources about this:

NBAA PBN site
FAA Climb Via/Descend Via Speed Clearances
Frequently Asked Questions
FAA “Climb Via” and “Descend Via” Procedures and Phraseology Air Traffic Policy Notice

