Boozman Bill to Expand Housing Grants for Disabled Veterans Approved by VA Committee

Boozman Bill to Expand Housing Grants for Disabled Veterans Approved by VA Committee
Committee also includes language from Boozman legislation to assist homeless vets into bill

Washington, Oct 21 - Legislation to expand housing grants for disabled veterans sponsored by Rep. John Boozman (R-AR) was approved today the House Veterans Affairs (VA) Committee. H.R. 3665, the "Veteran's Housing and Employment Improvement Act," changed a VA program to allow the grant money be used for modifications to the home where the disabled veteran lives, even if he or she does not own the property.

"The VA's housing programs are designed to provide veterans an opportunity to own their homes and adapt them to their particular living needs. This is becoming more and more important as veterans injured in Iraq and Afghanistan return to their communities. Many of the disabled veterans returning from the battlefield are young and will be living with their families. What we are trying to do is make it easier for veterans in that situation to transition out of a medical facility, even if they do not have the means to own their own home," said Boozman, the Chairman of the House VA Economic Opportunity Subcommittee.

The changes to this program will enable many younger, single veterans who are disabled and return to live with their families to be eligible to modify their parents' home through the program.

"This program is important because disabled veterans have specific needs that their homes need to be able to accommodate. For instance, a younger veteran in a wheelchair may need to widen the hallways or add a wheelchair ramp to his or her parent's home. This bill will allow that veteran to apply for funds to make the necessary modifications to that house even though they don't own it," said Boozman.

The Committee also voted to include language from two other bills previously passed by Rep. Boozman's subcommittee including Boozman's legislation to reauthorize the Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program. The other bill incorporated into H.R. 3665 was a bill sponsored by Rep. Mike Simpson (R-ID) which extends the President's National Hire Veterans Committee.

"I am pleased the committee included the language from my bill to reauthorize the Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program into this bill," said Boozman. "The program has been successful and it is vital to our commitment to our veterans to help homeless vets get back into the workforce."

The bill also makes permanent the pilot program under which the VA Secretary may make direct housing loans to Native American veterans and extends the eligibility for such direct loans to certain non-Native American veterans who have a meaningful interest in the property under tribal law and are the spouses of a Native American.

"The Native American home loan pilot program has been a success and it's time to make it permanent," said Boozman.

http://www.boozman.house.gov/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=35818