Sherman, De La Cruz Re-Introduce the Housing Unhoused Disabled Veterans Act (HUDVA)

WASHINGTON, D.C. — On February 4th, Congressman Brad Sherman (D-CA) and Congresswoman Monica De La Cruz (R-TX), along with Reps. Lieu (D-CA), Carbajal (D-CA), Levin (D-CA), Gottheimer (D-NJ), Cherfilus-McCormick (D-FL), Buzinski (D-IL), Foster (D-IL), Brownley (D-CA), Sessions (R-TX), Meuser (R-PA) and Bacon (R-NE) re-introduced the Housing Unhoused Disabled Veterans Act (HUDVA), to get homeless disabled veterans into the housing built exclusively for them on veteran land. This legislation would amend the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) definition of annual income to exclude disability payments received by a veteran for eligibility purposes for housing built under the Housing and Urban Development-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) Program.

Until late last year, many disabled veterans – that need that assistance most – were unable to access housing programs for veterans because of how income is defined. The more severe a disability is, the more disability benefits a veteran receives, and the less likely it was that they can access veterans housing assistance. But, because of the advocacy of Congressman Sherman and others, HUD decided to exclude disability benefits from income for eligibility purposes for HUD-VASH housing. Now it is time to enshrine that change in law.

“The recent wildfires which have devastated my district have underscored the need for safe and stable housing, and there is nothing more shameful than a homeless disabled veteran that lost a limb defending America, and is now on the streets,” said Congressman Brad Sherman. “This bill will ensure that a veteran’s disability benefits will no longer close the door to the housing they vitally need by excluding such benefits from a veteran’s income calculation.”

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 VA. However, due to restrictive Area Median Income (AMI) caps and inclusion of disability benefits in a veteran’s annual income calculation, many homeless disabled veterans were unjustly disqualified from accessing this vital support.

To address the root of the problem, the Housing Unhoused Disabled Veterans Act (HUDVA)will amend the existing law that defines income eligibility for veterans housing programs like HUD-VASH.  

There are many other federal programs for which veteran disability payments are not considered income, such as for income tax purposes. This legislation would address this inconsistency in existing federal law by appropriately excluding disability benefits from a veteran’s income for housing eligibility purposes.

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