Homeless Veterans Services Protection Act of 2015
Floor Speech
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Mr. President, I want to take a few minutes to talk about an issue that is very important to me, and that is the care of our Nation's veterans. As the daughter of a World War II veteran, I realize what it means for a family member to be willing to sacrifice their life for their country. We promise our men and women in uniform that the country will be there for them after they leave service, and sometimes that means long after the war is over. But I am concerned our country is about to turn its back on thousands of veterans, and I am here today to say we have to fix it.
Last year, the VA told homeless service providers they needed to cut off services to certain veterans who had other than honorable discharges or had not served a certain length of time. If that policy had been enacted, it would have been a major setback for veterans across the country. It would have set us back on our goal of ending veteran homelessness, a goal that the administration has set for itself and hundreds of mayors across the country have committed to. It would have been simply unacceptable. These are veterans who need our support. Many of them struggle with mental illness and substance abuse or simply finding employment.
According to some of our leading veterans and homeless groups--including the American Legion, the National Alliance to End Homelessness, the National Low Income Housing Coalition, and the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans--if the policy had been enacted, the VA would have had to stop serving about 15 percent of the homeless veteran population. In some urban areas, up to 30 percent of homeless veterans would be turned away.
Thankfully, after hearing concern from around the country, including from my home State of Washington, the VA was able to put off that terrible policy change. But, unfortunately, the VA is now expected to announce their final decision any day that the reprieve is over, and they are going to have to go ahead with this change and force homeless providers to turn away veterans who have nowhere else to go--veterans whose providers have been serving them for decades. That is wrong. This policy change would be heartless. It is a bureaucratic move that would put thousands of veterans on the streets practically overnight, and it has to be stopped.
The VA is going to enact this policy when the final decision is made. So Congress needs to act now to stop this from happening. Earlier this year, I introduced the Homeless Veterans Services Protection Act. That is a bill that would ensure our most vulnerable veterans would be assured continued access to critical homeless service programs, regardless of their discharge status or length of service. In other words, it fixes the problem the VA says it has and makes sure they do not have to cut off homeless veterans from care.
My bill will make it clear that our country takes care of those who served and that we do not allow bureaucracy to dictate who gets a roof over their head and who does not. But it is critical that we act now. The VA has said it would issue this legal position in November, which could put thousands of veterans on the street. We are running out of time. But the solution to this crisis is now before us, and we can do it by passing the Homeless Veterans Services Protection Act.
I don't believe there is any Member of this body who would deny our obligation to ensure that veterans are taken care of and have a roof over their head. While our country has made great strides in recent years providing homeless services to the men and women who so bravely served our country, I believe that even one veteran sleeping on our streets in the United States is one too many. We know we have a lot of work ahead of us.
Veterans are at a greater risk of becoming homeless than nonveterans. On any given night, as many as 50,000 veterans are homeless here in this country. With an influx of veterans now returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the numbers of veterans seeking care will continue to go up.
In short, this problem is not going away. Our veterans have made great sacrifices serving our country. We cannot turn our backs on them when they come home. That commitment includes providing benefits, medical care, support, and assistance to prevent homelessness. It is a commitment that shouldn't stop simply because we have run into a policy roadblock.
I am very pleased to call this up now with the Heller amendment which is the text of S. 1105. It is a bill that I strongly support. The provision will increase the availability of care for homeless veterans with children by reimbursing facilities funded by the VA Grant and Per Diem Program.
I want to thank Senator Heller for his leadership on this issue. I want to thank Senator Isakson and Senator Blumenthal for their leadership, as the heads of the Veterans Affairs' Committee, and for their support in being here today.
I am hoping Democrats and Republicans join us today to right this wrong and prevent this problem from happening. It shouldn't be a partisan issue. It is not a political issue. This is a veterans issue. It is one that should bring us all together.
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