{"bills":[{"photos":{"featured":"https://assets.causes.com/bill/photo/hr1816-114/featured_vulnerable-veterans-housing-reform-act-of-2015-1454549311.jpg","featured_large":"https://assets.causes.com/bill/photo/hr1816-114/featured_large_vulnerable-veterans-housing-reform-act-of-2015-1454549311.jpg","shareable":"https://n.causes.com/share-images/bills/hr1816-114.png"},"introduced_on":"2015-04-15","title_override":"Should the Government Stop Counting Money From the VA as \"Income\" When Calculating a Vet's Housing Assistance Eligibility?","summary_override":"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.

","official_title":"To exclude from consideration as income under the United States Housing Act of 1937 payments of pension made under section 1521 of title 38, United States Code, to veterans who are in need of regular aid and attendance.","short_title":"Vulnerable Veterans Housing Reform Act of 2015","popular_title":null,"short_summary":"Vulnerable Veterans Housing Reform Act of 2015\n\nAmends the United States Housing Act of 1937 to exclude as family income for Department of Housing and Urban Development housing assistance purposes any Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) payments made to veterans in need of regular aid and attendance for expenses related to such aid and attendance.\n\n Amends the the Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act of 2014 to reduce the VA employee bonus and award dollar amount limitation applicable to each of FY2016-FY2020 by $10 million.","summarized":true,"cost":null,"cost_commentary":"A CBO cost estimate is unavailable.","impact":"Veterans receiving aid and attendance benefits from the VA, taxpayers, HUD.","argument_for":"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_against":"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.","bill_type":"hr","published":true,"type":"FederalBill","id":"hr1816-114","bill_id":"hr1816-114","formal_id":"H.R. 1816","chamber":"house","congress":114,"last_action_at":"2015-05-19T00:00:00.000Z","active":true,"enacted":false,"enacted_at":null,"vetoed":false,"last_vote_at":"2015-05-18T20:56:19.000Z","debated_on":"2015-05-18T00:00:00.000Z","congress_url":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th/house-bill/1816","plain_text_url":"http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/BILLS-114hr1816rfs/html/BILLS-114hr1816rfs.htm","shareable_image_url":"https://n.causes.com/share-images/bills/hr1816-114.png","congress_full_text_url":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th/house-bill/1816/text","is_current_congress":false,"last_version_on":"2015-04-15","related_bill_ids":["hr3700-114"],"progress":"Passed House","house_passage_result":true,"senate_passage_result":false,"position_count":145,"committees":[{"name":"Committee on Financial Services","chamber":"house","committee_id":"HSBA","subcommittee":false},{"name":"Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs","chamber":"senate","committee_id":"SSBK","subcommittee":false}],"links":{"rollCalls":"/api/roll_calls?bill_id=hr1816-114","details":"/api/bills/hr1816-114/details","sharingMessage":"/api/sharing_messages/hr1816-114","positionsFor":"/api/bills/hr1816-114/positions/for","positionsAgainst":"/api/bills/hr1816-114/positions/against"},"upcoming":false,"cosponsors_count":0,"slug":"hr1816-114-vulnerable-veterans-housing-reform-act-of-2015","latest_chamber_votes_id":null,"official_url":null,"target_video":true,"following":false,"vote_count":3468,"yea_vote_count":2705,"nay_vote_count":759,"passed_house":true,"passed_senate":false,"vote_id":null,"my_position_id":null,"topic_ids":["defense","taxes","government","housing-and-community-development","families"],"issue_ids":["defense","military","federal-agencies","taxes","government","housing-and-community-development","wages","veterans-affairs","families"],"sponsor_id":388}],"votes":[],"issues":[{"id":"defense","name":"Defense","slug":"defense","description":"Federal legislation related to Defense spending, the active duty military, intelligence activities, war powers and veterans’ care. 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James

Should the Government Stop Counting Money From the VA as "Income" When Calculating a Vet's Housing Assistance Eligibility?