Department of Veterans Affairs Expiring Authorities Act of 2015

Floor Speech

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Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. I thank my good friend for yielding, and I thank the gentlewoman from Florida, Corrine Brown, for her courtesy.

Thank you, Chairman Miller, for your leadership on this bill and your staff's work to bring it to the floor in a timely manner to ensure that the VA continues to provide the services necessary for veterans to successfully transition back to civilian life and live independently.

Mr. Speaker, I served on the House Veteran's Affairs Committee for a quarter of a century, including stints as vice and full committee chair and I believe that our nation's veterans are fortunate to have a great champion with Chairman Miller at the helm. Chairman Miller led the committee with aggressive oversight and accountability of the often troubled Department. You have shepherded numerous bills into law including the VA Choice program which expands timely and local access to healthcare for veterans and you've ensured that the VA has the resources and authorities to meet evolving needs. You have always put veterans and their dependents--first.

Mr. Speaker, the bill we are voting on today will reauthorize over 30 critical programs that provide healthcare, education, and child care benefits to veterans and continue the VA's homeless veterans and caregiver assistance.

Since Chairman Miller has explained the bill let me focus for a moment on Title III which extends many provisions first authorized by landmark legislation I authored in 2001 known as the Homeless Veterans Comprehensive Assistance Act (Public Law 107-95).

That law established the grant programs we are reauthorizing today that focused on homeless female veterans; homeless veterans with special needs, children, serious mental illnesses, and incarcerated veterans. The Act authorized dental care--for better oral health and overall health--job training and expanded domiciliary care programs. It is hard to get a job if your teeth are cracked and deteriorated. It authorized the Advisory Committee on Homeless Veterans and launched the national goal of attempting to end chronic homelessness among veterans within a decade of the enactment of the Act. And among its many other provisions, it increased funding for two programs that were effective but seriously underfunded.

The first was the Department of Labor's Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program--which helps homeless veterans reenter and stay in the labor force. Allowing more veterans access to this program was critical, as a steady job is key to successfully maintaining a residence.

The second is the HUD-VASH program, which combines rental assistance with case management and clinical services. After enactment, utilization of these services spiked and more veterans received the assistance that has led to self-sufficiency and independence.

Today, these programs continue to be a highly effective means of reducing homelessness among our veterans population.

In 2001, it was estimated that almost 300,000 veterans experienced homelessness that year. By fiscal year 2013, that number had decreased to approximately 140,000 veterans.

The VA and HUD have since changed how they calculate homeless veterans to a point-in-time estimate. The latest numbers show that we still have much work to do: on any given night last year, just under 50,000 veterans were on the street.

Of course one homeless veteran is one too many. Yet we are continuing to make progress and the numbers demonstrate how these programs, coupled with other recent and successful programs like the Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) Program which we are reauthorizing today, are tangibly assisting homeless or potentially homeless women and men who served in our nation's armed forces. It is estimated that approximately 135,000 veterans and their families got assistance through SSVF in (FY) 2015 including funds to Soldier On and other initiatives in my state.

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