Bills
| 3.23.22

Should the Government Stop Counting Money From the VA as "Income" When Calculating a Vet's Housing Assistance Eligibility? (H.R. 1816)

Do you support or oppose this bill?

What is H.R. 1816?

(Updated December 3, 2017)

This bill would exclude payments from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to veterans from being considered as family income for housing assistance purposes by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

It would give more veterans the ability to receive housing benefits that they were unable to access under current law because of aid and attendance benefits received from the VA — which are intended to be used for medical care, but have been considered as income by HUD.

Argument in favor

Veterans have earned the benefits they receive from the VA for medical purposes, and it makes no sense for those funds to be counted as income which in turn prevents them from getting housing assistance.

Argument opposed

All income that a person receives has to be counted that way when HUD disburses housing assistance — whether it’s from a pension, Social Security, or VA medical payments.

Impact

Veterans receiving aid and attendance benefits from the VA, taxpayers, HUD.

Cost of H.R. 1816

A CBO cost estimate is unavailable.

Additional Info

Of Note:

Veterans comprise as much as 12 percent of the total homeless population in the U.S., and there are an estimated 1.4 million who are considered to be at risk of homelessness because of poverty, and substandard housing conditions, among other conditions.


In-Depth:

A similar version of this bill was passed by the House through a voice vote in October 2013, but it failed to advance from Committee in the Senate during the 113th  Congress. That version of the bill also would have covered utility expenses -- preventing those from being counted as part of a veteran's income.


Media:

Summary by Eric Revell
(Photo Credit: NPR)