Jefferson Reporter

U.S. Senators Katie Britt, Alex Padilla, Dave McCormick, and Ruben Gallego have introduced a bipartisan bill designed to enhance housing support for disabled veterans who are homeless. The legislation, known as the Housing Unhoused Disabled Veterans Act (HUDVA), seeks to permanently remove disability payments from annual income calculations for housing assistance eligibility under the Department of Housing and Urban Development-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) Program.

“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,” stated 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.”

Senator Padilla added, “Veterans who have given so much for our country’s freedom deserve the right to a stable roof over their heads. 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.”

The HUD-VASH program is crucial in addressing veteran homelessness through rental assistance and supportive services. However, historically, some veterans with severe disabilities have been unable to qualify for these services due to their disability benefits being counted as income.

“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,” commented Senator McCormick.

Last year, HUD altered its policies to exclude VA disability benefits from income considerations for HUD-VASH eligibility. HUDVA aims to codify this policy change, ensuring its continuation. Senator Gallego emphasized, “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.”

Senators Richard Blumenthal, Bill Cassidy, Mike Crapo, and Mazie Hirono are cosponsors of the bill, while Representatives Brad Sherman and Monica De La Cruz are spearheading similar legislation in the House.

Senator Britt, in her support for Doug Collins’s confirmation as Secretary of the VA, remarked, “I am confident Secretary Collins will do everything in his power to improve the Department of Veterans Affairs to better care for the heroes who have protected America.”