Padilla, McCormick, Gallego, Britt Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Help House Disabled Veterans
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senators Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Dave McCormick (R-Pa.), Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), and Katie Britt (R-Ala.) introduced bipartisan legislation to ensure veterans experiencing homelessness and receiving disability payments maintain access to crucial housing support. The Housing Unhoused Disabled Veterans Act (HUDVA) would permanently exclude disability payments received by veterans from annual income for housing assistance eligibility purposes under the Department of Housing and Urban Development-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) Program.
The HUD-VASH program plays a pivotal role in addressing homelessness among veterans by providing rental assistance from HUD along with supportive services from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Unfortunately, some of our country’s most disabled veterans receiving disability payments have historically been unable to access veterans housing programs like HUD-VASH because HUD included disability benefits as part of their total income. Up until recently, the more severe a disability was, the more disability benefits a veteran received, and the less likely it was that they could access veterans housing assistance. In Los Angeles, for example, veterans receiving the maximum service-connected disability payment had been ineligible for HUD-VASH because they were considered over-income. As a result, many homeless disabled veterans were unjustly disqualified from accessing this vital support.
Following advocacy from Senator Padilla and other members of Congress, last year, HUD finally changed its policies to exclude VA disability benefits from income for purposes of eligibility for the HUD-VASH program. Now that homeless veterans with disabilities can finally access this assistance, HUDVA would codify this important policy change to ensure that access continues permanently.
“Veterans who have given so much for our country’s freedom deserve the right to a stable roof over their heads,” said Senator Padilla. “Outdated income definitions shouldn’t mean that some of our country’s most disabled veterans are unable to access the housing assistance they need to survive. This simple, bipartisan fix would permanently exclude disability benefits from the HUD-VASH income eligibility calculation to ensure our most vulnerable veterans have a safe place to sleep at night.”
“As an Army veteran, I’ve seen firsthand how difficult the return to civilian life can be for so many servicemembers. Making this small correction would be a huge step toward helping our nation’s heroes obtain the support they have earned and finally tackle the epidemic of veteran homelessness,” said Senator McCormick. “I’m proud to work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle on behalf of those who have sacrificed so much for America.”
“It is devastating when I see fellow veterans on the streets. Arizona is in the midst of a housing crisis, and it is too often our disabled veterans who are impacted most,” said Senator Gallego. “This bipartisan bill makes a simple, commonsense fix to get more disabled veterans into safe, affordable housing, and I’m proud to give it my support.”
“Our nation’s veterans made tremendous sacrifices to serve our country and protect their fellow Americans, and they deserve our utmost support to help access housing opportunities,” said Senator Britt. “This commonsense bill would simply exclude disability benefits from HUD’s annual income calculation, so disabled veterans are not unfairly disqualified from accessing these vital services. I will always work to ensure our veterans and servicemembers are treated like the heroes that they are.”
“Veterans should never have to make the choice between a permanent roof over their heads and receiving the benefits they earned. Yet, federal policies have counted veterans’ benefits against veterans looking to receive homelessness assistance and housing vouchers for years. Our bill will fix this unjust policy and rightfully ensure veterans are not punished for receiving their earned benefits. There is not a single valid reason any veteran should be homeless in America, and Congress must move swiftly to codify this change,” said Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Ranking Member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee.
The bill is cosponsored by Senators Blumenthal, Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), and Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii). Representatives Brad Sherman (D-Calif.-32) and Monica De La Cruz (R-Texas-15) are leading companion legislation in the House.
California has the most veterans in the nation and was home to 28 percent of all veterans experiencing homelessness in the United States last year.
Senator Padilla has consistently fought to improve veterans’ access to housing. Last year, Padilla passed a bipartisan amendment into law to increase and streamline veterans’ access to HUD-VASH housing vouchers through the FY24 appropriations package. Last month, Padilla and Senator Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) urged VA Secretary Doug Collins to provide emergency housing and health care for veterans affected by the Los Angeles fires.
Full text of the bill is available here.
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