Housing Unhoused Disabled Veterans Act

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. SHERMAN. Mr. Speaker, these are two companion bills. It has been good working with her. My hope is that we not only pass both these bills today unanimously but that we actually get the Senate to act.

There is nothing more shameful than a homeless, disabled American veteran, one who has lost a limb defending us and now living on the streets.

There are two programs to focus on that are designed to provide housing for the unhoused. The De La Cruz bill, which I was proud to be the chief Democratic advocate of, dealt with the CDBG program. This bill deals with a joint program between HUD and the veterans administration, HUD and the VA, and that is why the bill's title spells out HUDVA.

The issue, again, is how do we define income for eligibility for housing. Certainly we should change that definition when it applies to veterans' housing for veterans on veterans' land.

The worst thing we could do is exclude disabled veterans. This is particularly true because perhaps the most significant parcel that this will affect is in my district, and it is the largest VA hospital in the West. What better place for disabled veterans to live when they need often hospital care than to live right there at the hospital.

This bill amends the HUD definition of annual income to exclude disability payments received by a veteran for eligibility purposes for housing under the HUDVA Supportive Housing program.

Last year, HUD, in a major victory for us, did decide to exclude disability benefits from this definition. It is now, I think, necessary for us to make that a statutory change so that it doesn't change with this or that administration.

Now, to qualify, as I have said, the central issue is whether VA disability benefits count as income. The Internal Revenue Code excludes them from that definition of income. As I said, in talking about the gentlewoman from Texas' bill, if you are disabled and you have disability benefits, those benefits don't necessarily raise your standard of living and raise your income from that standpoint when you have to spend your disability benefits on, for example, home healthcare, the additional cost of living with a disability, et cetera.

The HUD-VASH program is designed to provide rental assistance. The inclusion of disability benefits in the annual income calculation excludes veterans who are disabled from living at a VA hospital land or part of a complex that includes a VA hospital. This legislation would address this problem.

The bill is supported by virtually all the veterans support organizations, such as VFW, Vietnam Veterans of America, American Legion, Disabled American Veterans, U.S. Vets, and Black Veterans Empowerment Council.

The bill is also supported by the U.S. Conference of Mayors, because it is mayors, after all, who have to deal with the homeless and particularly homeless veterans in their cities.

This bill had 101 cosponsors last Congress and substantial bipartisan support in this Congress. I am pleased to have the co-leadership of Ms. De La Cruz from Texas. It has a zero Congressional Budget Office score, so it does nothing to increase our deficit.

The recent wildfires in my area also exemplify this in that the VA hospital that I referred to is right there close to where these fires broke out.

Mr. Speaker, I look forward to passing this bill and to persuade the Senate to do so as well.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source