John Plahovinsak
On August 8, 2024, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) released a new set of significant federal policy changes that will help more disabled veterans receive assistance under the HUD-Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) program.
These new policy changes are focused on expanding veterans’ access to affordable rental housing and combating veteran homelessness.
This change of policy will significantly improve veterans’ access to supportive housing developments. Disabled veterans experiencing homelessness often receive VA benefits because of an injury or illness that was acquired or worsened during their military service.
HUD’s new federal policies will no longer consider service-connected disability benefits as income and therefore allow more veterans to access HUD-VASH housing vouchers
Before this HUD policy change, these VA benefits were considered income when determining eligibility for certain supportive housing developments—causing some veterans to exceed the income threshold for these programs.
This especially presented a problem for veterans hoping to use their HUD-VASH vouchers for units funded by the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC), which has a stricter income threshold.
HUD’s policy changes will help more homeless veterans with service-connected disability benefits gain access to these housing developments.
The housing federal agency has announced that they are working with the Treasury Department to ensure that this policy change extends to units funded by the LIHTC program.
Additionally, on August 8, 2024, HUD awarded $20 million to public housing agencies to continue to improve the HUD-VASH program.
“These policy changes will make a tremendous impact in getting homeless veterans off the streets and into affordable housing units for a stable future,” explained Congressman Mike Levin.
In May 2024, Congressmen Levin and Rep. Brad Sherman jointly introduced H.R. 8340, the Housing Unhoused Disabled Veterans Act, a bipartisan bill to exclude disability compensation and pension benefits received by a veteran from HUD’s definition of income for the purposes of HUD-VASH and other types of housing assistance for any household receiving HUD-VASH rental assistance.
“We know that having a stable home produces better life outcomes and our veterans deserve nothing less,” said Representative Levin. “Now, veterans will not have their disability benefits held against them when applying for rental assistance.”
“No veteran should ever have to experience homelessness, but when they do, they should not face barriers to getting the help they deserve,” said HUD Acting Secretary Adrianne Todman. “This policy change will ensure that veterans who are receiving the disability benefits they earned through service and sacrifice can access the housing assistance and supportive services they need to resolve their homelessness.”
“The days of a Veteran having to choose between getting the VA benefits they deserve and the housing support they need are finally over,” said VA Secretary Denis McDonough. “This is a critical step forward that will help Veterans nationwide – and bring us one step closer to our ultimate goal of putting an end to Veteran homelessness for good.”
The HUD-VASH Program is a vital resource to house veterans experiencing homelessness. HUD-VASH pairs rental assistance through housing vouchers targeted to veterans experiencing homelessness from HUD with case management and other supportive services provided by the VA.
The VA homeless program staff at local VA medical centers identify veterans experiencing homelessness and refer them to public housing agencies that issue vouchers to eligible veteran and their families.
VA staff provide case management and other “wrap-around” supportive services to assist the veteran household in finding and entering rental housing, retaining housing, and connecting to health care, employment, and other supports.
HUD is also working with state and local governments that fund affordable housing projects to encourage them to adopt the updated definition of income. They will also encourage state and local governments to make corresponding changes in their subsidy programs to ensure that all veterans experiencing homelessness have access to supportive housing.
Since the program’s inception, the HUD-VASH Program has assisted more than 200,000 veterans to exit homelessness and obtain permanent affordable housing. The HUD-VASH program has been the cornerstone of our nation’s success in reducing the number of veterans experiencing homelessness by more than 50% since 2010.
My Opinion: Any change in federal policy that positively impacts disabled veterans is welcomed. Congress has been working on this change since the Housing Opportunity Through Modernization Act of 2016 was passed, but included veteran’s disability compensation benefits as income.
Both Congressmen Levin and Sherman and the fifty-three (53) co-sponsors of H.R. 8340, the Housing Unhoused Disabled Veterans Act, should be commended for their actions in making these HUD changes happen for our disabled veterans!
BioSketch: John Plahovinsak is a retired 32-year Army veteran, who served from 1967 to 1999. He is a member of the Disabled American Veterans (DAV) Department of Ohio’s Legislative Committee and Adjutant of DAV Chapter #63 (Clermont County). For more information on this article, he can be contacted at: plahovinsak@msn.com.