VETERAN 

HOMELESSNESS

VA and HUD Are 

Working to Improve 

Data on Supportive 

Housing Program

Report to the Committee on Veterans’ 

Affairs, House of Representatives

June 2012

GAO-12-726

United States Government Accountability Office

GAO
United States Government Accountability Office

Highlights of GAO-12-726, a report to the 

Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, House of 

Representatives

June 2012

VETERAN HOMELESSNESS

VA and HUD Are Working to Improve Data on 

Supportive Housing Program

Why GAO Did This Study

According to a HUD and VA report, 

veterans are overrepresented among 

the homeless population. The HUDVASH program combines rental 

assistance for homeless veterans in 

the form of section 8 Housing Choice 

vouchers provided by HUD with case 

management and clinical services 

provided by VA at VAMCs and 

community-based outpatient clinics. 

This collaborative initiative between the

two agencies is intended to target the 

most vulnerable, most needy, and 

chronically homeless veterans. GAO 

was asked to examine (1) how VA and 

HUD determine veteran eligibility for 

HUD-VASH, (2) what data VA and 

HUD collect and report on HUD-VASH 

and their data reliability efforts, and (3) 

what is known about HUD-VASH 

performance. 

To address these objectives, GAO 

reviewed HUD-VASH program 

requirements and reported program 

data through March 2012; and 

interviewed VA and HUD headquarters 

officials, staff at a non-representative 

sample of 10 VAMCs and 10 PHAs, 

and representatives of organizations

that advocate for veterans or 

individuals experiencing 

homelessness. 

GAO makes no recommendations in 

this report. HUD, VA, and the U.S. 

Interagency Council on Homelessness 

generally agreed with GAO’s 

conclusions.

What GAO Found

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and Department of Housing and Urban 

Development (HUD) rely on VA medical centers (VAMC) and public housing 

agencies (PHA) that serve veterans directly to determine participant eligibility for 

the HUD-VA Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) program. VAMC staff GAO 

contacted said that they interview veterans interested in the HUD-VASH program 

to assess whether the veteran met the program’s definition of homelessness, 

check VA’s electronic patient record system to determine whether the veteran 

was eligible for VA health care, and obtain the veteran’s agreement to participate 

in case management. VAMCs refer eligible veterans to partnering PHAs (subject 

to rental assistance voucher availability) and are required to place them on an 

interest list when no vouchers are available. PHA staff GAO contacted said that 

they compare the veteran’s reported income to information provided by thirdparty sources, such as the Social Security Administration, to verify that the 

veteran’s household income did not exceed HUD-VASH program limits and

check state sex offender registries to help ensure that no member of the 

veteran’s household was subject to a lifetime registration requirement.

VA and HUD collect various data on veteran participation and voucher utilization

and are taking steps to address the reliability of data collected and reported on 

HUD-VASH. Since 2008, VA has used an electronic database referred to as the 

Dashboard to collect and report various data, such as the number of veterans 

issued a voucher and seeking housing and the number of veterans housed. VA 

described taking a number of steps intended to help ensure the reliability of 

Dashboard-based reports, including routine reviews of underlying reports. VA 

expects to fully implement reporting based on data collected with its new 

Homeless Operations Management and Evaluation System (HOMES) by July 

2012. According to VA, HOMES incorporates additional data reliability controls, 

such as data fields that automatically limit responses to predefined ranges. HUD 

also collects data on HUD-VASH voucher utilization, although HUD officials 

acknowledged discrepancies between VA and HUD data. VA and HUD are 

working to finalize an information-sharing agreement intended to help the 

departments better identify the source of the discrepancies and validate reports 

based on HOMES data.

HUD-VASH data show that the program has moved previously homeless 

veterans into housing. As of March 2012, nearly 31,200 veterans lived in HUDVASH supported housing (about 83 percent of the rental assistance vouchers 

authorized under the program). The program goal is to have veterans in housing 

represent 88 percent of authorized vouchers by September 2012; several states

had met or exceeded the goal as of March 2012. VAMC and PHA staff GAO

contacted also cited challenges in administering the HUD-VASH program, 

including a lack of resources to assist veterans with moving into housing. In April 

2012, HUD released a best practices document that illustrated how some of the

challenges identified had been addressed. For example, one PHA applied for 

county Community Development Block Grant funds to assist veterans with 

security and utility deposits. 

View GAO-12-726 For more information, 

contact Alicia Puente Cackley at (202) 512-

8678 or cackleya@gao.gov.
Page i GAO-12-726 Veteran Homelessness

Letter 1 

Background 3

HUD-VASH Eligibility Is Determined at the Local Level 10

Both VA and HUD Have Been Taking Steps to Address Data 

Reliability 14

HUD-VASH Data Show the Program Has Moved Veterans into 

Housing 18

Agency Comments 29

Appendix I Objectives, Scope, and Methodology 31

Appendix II Comments from the Department of Housing and Urban Development 35

Appendix III Comments from the Department of Veterans Affairs 37

Appendix IV Comments from the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness 39

Appendix V GAO Contact and Staff Acknowledgments 40

Tables

Table 1: HUD-VASH Program Measures That VA Collects in 

Dashboard System and Reports 14

Table 2: HUD-VASH Measures on Voucher Utilization (as of March 

28, 2012) 19

Table 3: Selected HUD-VASH Outcome Metrics, 2011 22

Figures

Figure 1:HUD-VASH Program Obligations, Fiscal Years 2008 

through 2011 5

Contents
Page ii GAO-12-726 Veteran Homelessness

Figure 2:VA and HUD Responsibilities during Provision of HUDVASH Assistance 7

Figure 3:HUD-VASH Voucher Allocations and Percentage of 

Vouchers under Lease by State, as of March 28, 2012 20

Figure 4:VA Medical Centers and Public Housing Agencies 

Contacted 32

Abbreviations

HOMES Homeless Operations Management and Evaluation

System

HUD Department of Housing and Urban Development

HUD-VASH Department of Housing and Urban Development and 

Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing

PHA Public Housing Agency

PIC Public and Indian Housing Information Center

OMB Office of Management and Budget

VA Department of Veterans Affairs

VAMC Veterans Administration Medical Center

VISN Veterans Integrated Service Network

VMS Voucher Management System 

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Page 1 GAO-12-726 Veteran Homelessness

United States Government Accountability Office

Washington, DC 20548

June 26, 2012

The Honorable Jeff Miller

Chairman

The Honorable Bob Filner

Ranking Member

Committee on Veterans’ Affairs

House of Representatives

According to a Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) 

and Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) report, veterans are 

overrepresented among the homeless population.1 In 2010, they 

accounted for roughly 9.5 percent of the total adult population (over the 

age of 18) but 13 percent of homeless adults in shelters or transitional 

housing. The report also notes that veterans represented 16 percent of 

homeless adults at a given point in time.2

VA and HUD, in collaboration with other federal agencies, are committed 

to preventing and ending veteran homelessness by 2015, and both 

departments fund several programs to house homeless veterans. The 

HUD-VA Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) program, a collaborative 

initiative between HUD and VA, is intended to target the most vulnerable, 

most needy, and chronically homeless veterans. Its primary goal is to 

move veterans and their families out of homelessness and promote 

The larger percentage of 

veterans identified during the point-in-time count may reflect the greater 

likelihood of chronic homelessness among veterans. Chronically 

homeless veterans include those who cycle between streets and shelters, 

have frequent episodes of homelessness, and struggle with physical or 

mental health problems.

 

1

HUD and VA, Veteran Homelessness: A Supplemental Report to the 2010 Annual 

Homeless Assessment Report to Congress (Washington, D.C.: 2011).

2

Communities annually submit point-in-time estimates to HUD. The counts attempt to 

enumerate both unsheltered persons (those in places not meant for human habitation 

such as the streets, abandoned buildings, or cars) and sheltered persons (those in 

emergency shelter or transitional housing on the night of the point-in-time count). 

Communities typically conduct their counts during a 24-hour period in the last week in 

January when a large share of the homeless population is expected to seek shelter rather 

than stay outside. The timing of the point-in-time count is intended to improve accuracy 

because counts of people in shelters are more precise than counts of people on the 

streets.

 
 

Page 2 GAO-12-726 Veteran Homelessness

housing stability. HUD-VASH combines rental assistance for homeless 

veterans in the form of section 8 Housing Choice vouchers provided by 

HUD with case management and clinical services provided by VA at 

Veterans Administration Medical Centers (VAMC) and community-based 

outpatient clinics. HUD provides the vouchers through public housing 

agencies (PHA) that partner with eligible medical centers or other 

entities.3 As of March 28, 2012, more than 35,800 HUD-VASH vouchers 

were in use.4

You requested that we review the HUD-VASH program, including 

compliance with statutory eligibility criteria, data integrity, and utilization of 

performance measures to track long-term outcomes. In this report, we 

examine (1) how VA and HUD determine that veterans who participate in 

the HUD-VASH program meet the statutory eligibility criteria, (2) what 

data VA and HUD collect and report on the HUD-VASH program and the 

steps that VA and HUD take to help ensure the reliability of these data, 

and (3) what is known about the performance of the HUD-VASH program.

HUD-VASH is the nation’s largest permanent supportive 

housing initiative for veterans.

In conducting this work, we reviewed VA and HUD documents that 

describe the purpose of the HUD-VASH program and the agencies’ roles 

and responsibilities related to HUD-VASH. We reviewed eligibility 

requirements in the HUD-VASH statute and program manuals. We 

selected a purposive, non-representative sample of 10 locations in which 

to interview management and staff at VAMCs and their partnering PHAs. 

We asked VAMC and PHA staff about their procedures for administering 

HUD-VASH, including making eligibility determinations; cooperation at the 

local level; data they collect and report on HUD-VASH; and their 

 

3

A PHA is a local entity, typically created under state law, which receives funds from HUD 

to administer the voucher program. A family that is issued a housing voucher is 

responsible for finding a suitable housing unit of the family’s choice which the owner 

agrees to rent under the program. A housing subsidy is paid to the landlord directly by the 

PHA on behalf of the family. The family pays the difference between the actual rent 

charged by the landlord and the amount subsidized by the program. 

4

More specifically, VA’s data for “vouchers currently in use” represent the sum of totals 

from three categories: (1) vouchers reserved for veterans who are undergoing PHA 

validation, (2) vouchers issued to veterans who are actively seeking a lease, and (3) 

current veterans housed/under lease. The data represent voucher utilization at a point-intime.
 

Page 3 GAO-12-726 Veteran Homelessness

perspectives on the program’s effectiveness. We selected the 10 

locations based on several criteria, including a significant presence of 

homeless veterans in and a large allocation of HUD-VASH vouchers to 

the state for fiscal years 2008 through 2010, identified best practices or 

challenges in administering the HUD-VASH program, and geographic 

diversity. To obtain information on the presence of homeless veterans by 

state, we reviewed the jointly developed veteran supplements to HUD’s 

annual homeless reports for 2009 and 2010. We used information from 

HUD on annual HUD-VASH voucher allocations by PHA and partnering 

VAMC for fiscal years 2008 through 2010, as the program was expanded 

with funding for new vouchers in 2008. We also reviewed federal strategic 

plans that address veteran homelessness to obtain information on VA’s 

and HUD’s goals for reducing veteran homelessness. To determine what 

is known about the performance of the HUD-VASH program, we reviewed 

VA and HUD reports on HUD-VASH voucher utilization and other VA 

reports on the program. In addition, we interviewed representatives of, 

and gathered documentation from, HUD and VA headquarters; the U.S. 

Interagency Council on Homelessness (Interagency Council); and veteran 

and homeless advocacy organizations, including the National Coalition for 

Homeless Veterans, the National Coalition for the Homeless, the National 

Alliance to End Homelessness, and Vietnam Veterans of America. See 

appendix I for a more detailed discussion of our scope and methodology.

We conducted this performance audit from September 2011 through June 

2012 in accordance with generally accepted government auditing 

standards. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to 

obtain sufficient, appropriate evidence to provide a reasonable basis for 

our findings and conclusions based on our audit objectives. We believe 

that the evidence obtained provides a reasonable basis for our findings 

and conclusions based on our audit objectives.

HUD and VA established HUD-VASH in 1992 to target veterans with 

severe psychiatric or substance use disorders. From fiscal years 1992 

through 1994, the program provided approximately 1,753 housing 

vouchers to homeless veterans.5

 

5

According to HUD officials, HUD did not track HUD-VASH vouchers separately from 

general section 8 vouchers until the program was expanded in fiscal year 2008.

After the initial voucher distributions, no 

new vouchers were made available to homeless veterans until fiscal year 

Background 
 

Page 4 GAO-12-726 Veteran Homelessness

2008. From fiscal years 2008 through 2011, the program received funding 

for about 37,000 new HUD-VASH vouchers. As of fiscal year 2008, 

program participants are no longer required to have chronic mental 

illnesses or chronic substance use disorders with required treatment. 

However, a significant number of veterans with those issues are expected 

to be helped within the program’s target population of veterans 

experiencing chronic homelessness.

Obligations for new HUD-VASH vouchers and supportive services 

increased from $78 million in fiscal year 2008 to $172 million in fiscal year 

2011 (see fig. 1).6

 

6

These figures do not include HUD-VASH voucher obligations after the initial 

appropriation year of the vouchers. After the initial funding year, HUD-VASH vouchers are 

renewed via a funding formula used for regular section 8 vouchers and HUD does not 

report those obligations separately from other section 8 vouchers.

Program Funding
 

Page 5 GAO-12-726 Veteran Homelessness

Figure 1: HUD-VASH Program Obligations, Fiscal Years 2008 through 2011

Note: Totals may not add due to rounding.

As of April 2012, more than 140 VA facilities were participating in HUDVASH.7 In addition, according to HUD, more than 360 PHAs had 

partnered with VA facilities to administer HUD-VASH nationwide since 

fiscal year 2008.8

 

7

According to VA officials, VA does not count its community-based outpatient clinics as 

separate entities for HUD-VASH administration. The clinics operate under a parent VA 

facility (such as a VAMC). 

The allocation process for HUD-VASH vouchers is a 

collaborative approach that relies on three sets of data to determine 

geographic need: HUD point-in-time data on homeless veterans needing 

services in the area, VAMC data on the number of contacts with 

homeless veterans, and performance data from PHAs and VAMCs.

Based on this analysis of geographic need (adjusted by the number of 

vouchers received in previous years’ allocations), HUD and VA identify 

communities that should receive VASH vouchers. The agencies then 

determine the exact number to allocate in proportion with each 

community’s level of need. VA then identifies VAMCs from these 

communities to participate in HUD-VASH, taking into account VA’s case 

management resources. HUD considers a PHA’s administrative 

8

PHAs participating in HUD-VASH from fiscal years 2008 through 2012 may not have 

been awarded vouchers for each fiscal year during that time frame. 

Administration of 

Assistance and Eligibility
 

Page 6 GAO-12-726 Veteran Homelessness

performance and in consultation with VA identifies PHAs located in the 

jurisdiction of the VAMCs and invites them to apply for HUD-VASH 

vouchers. The selected VAMCs and PHAs in a given community must 

partner to administer the program. Under certain terms, HUD allows 

PHAs to make a portion of their HUD-VASH vouchers project-based (that 

is, tied to a specific housing unit and not to a tenant). PHAs can request 

that a portion of their allocation of HUD-VASH vouchers be project-based 

as long as funding for those vouchers, when added to the funding for 

vouchers from the PHA’s regular voucher program that have been 

project-based, does not exceed 20 percent of the PHA’s overall voucher 

budget authority and the partnering VAMC supports the project.

The Veterans Health Administration within VA issues a HUD-VASH 

handbook, which establishes procedures and responsibilities for 

administering HUD-VASH. VA also has released a HUD-VASH Resource 

Guide that was developed in conjunction with other federal and 

community partners. It includes additional HUD-VASH guidance and 

provides technical assistance on clinical issues pertaining to individuals in 

permanent supportive housing programs.

HUD’s policies and procedures for HUD-VASH, including PHA 

responsibilities, are defined in a Federal Register notice, the most recent 

of which dates to March 2012. Figure 2 illustrates the processes and 

activities for which VA and HUD (through PHAs in compliance with HUD 

regulations) are responsible when providing HUD-VASH assistance. For 

example, VA screens veterans to help ensure the following.

• That they are homeless based on the McKinney-Vento Homeless 

Assistance Act definition; that is generally, a person who lacks 

regular, adequate housing or will imminently lose housing and lacks 

resources to obtain other permanent housing.9

 

9

The McKinney-Vento Act, as amended per the HEARTH Act of 2009, defines a homeless 

individual to include "(1) an individual . . . who lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate 

nighttime residence; (2) an individual . . . with a primary nighttime residence that is a 

public or private place not designed for or ordinarily used as a regular sleeping 

accommodation for human beings . . . ; (3) an individual . . . living in a supervised publicly 

or privately operated shelter designed to provide temporary living accommodations . . .; 

(4) an individual who resided in a shelter or place not meant for human habitation and who 

is exiting an institution where he or she temporarily resided; (5) an individual . . . who (A) 

will imminently lose [his or her] housing. . . ; (B) has no subsequent residence identified; 

and (C) lacks the resources or support networks needed to obtain other permanent 

housing." 42 U.S.C. § 11302(a). 
 

Page 7 GAO-12-726 Veteran Homelessness

• That they are eligible for VA health care.10

• That they are willing to participate in case management services that 

are intended to promote housing stability and link the veteran to 

needed clinical services. According to VA, many veterans 

experiencing homelessness have physical, emotional, or other 

problems that make the goal of living independently challenging.

Figure 2: VA and HUD Responsibilities during Provision of HUD-VASH Assistance

Note: HUD provides funding for the program, but HUD-VASH administration at the local level is 

carried out by PHAs.

VAMCs refer veterans who meet VA requirements to PHAs, which 

determine eligibility based on HUD’s income requirements for section 8. 

To be eligible for assistance, households generally must have very low 

incomes—not exceeding 50 percent of the area median income, as 

determined by HUD.11

 

10VA health care is generally only available to a veteran enrolled in the VA health care 

system. The term veteran is defined in 38 U.S.C. § 101(2) as “a person who served in the 

active military, naval, or air service, and who was discharged or released there from under 

conditions other than dishonorable.” 

Except for a sex offender provision, HUD-VASH 

offers several waivers to the regular section 8 voucher requirements. 

Specifically, under HUD-VASH, PHAs cannot deny assistance to 

potentially eligible households for past section 8 violations, such as 

previous nonpayment, or for criminal history. However, no members of 

11The veteran must provide proof of qualifying income level. Typically, the veteran pays 

approximately 30 percent of the adjusted household income to the landlord and the PHA 

pays the remainder (the rental subsidy) up to a predetermined amount. 
 

Page 8 GAO-12-726 Veteran Homelessness

the veteran household can be subject to a lifetime registration 

requirement under a state registration program for sex offenders. Once 

the veteran meets HUD’s requirements for the program, the PHA can 

issue the voucher for participation in HUD-VASH.

According to VA, the agency has assumed primary responsibility for 

collecting and reporting HUD-VASH data, which it does for internal 

performance purposes, monthly congressional reporting, and compliance 

with Office of Management and Budget (OMB) reporting. VA and HUD 

officials told us that VA also provides HUD with program data, which HUD 

uses for internal performance purposes and for OMB reporting.

More than one VA office shares responsibilities for HUD-VASH data 

collection and analysis. VA’s National Center for Homelessness among 

Veterans (national center), which falls under the National Homeless 

Program Office, undertakes development and evaluation of care options 

and research and methodology related to VA’s homeless programs. 

Additionally, VA’s Northeast Program Evaluation Center supports and 

oversees data collection for VA’s mental health programs. According to a 

VA official, this center provides sites with day-to-day support on technical 

aspects of data collection, and the national center provides specific 

feedback on the data collection process and analysis, among other 

activities.

VA currently uses two systems to collect HUD-VASH program 

information. According to VA, in 2008, it implemented a HUD-VASH 

database, referred to as the Dashboard, to collect monthly program status 

updates from HUD-VASH sites. VAMC staff submit Dashboard reports to 

their respective Veterans Integrated Service Networks (VISN), which in 

turn submit facility-level reports to the national center.12

 

12More than 20 VISNs report to VA’s national center. In 1995, the Veterans Health 

Administration established VISNs to oversee daily operations and decisions affecting 

hospitals, clinics, nursing homes, and veteran centers located within their regions. 

According to VA, VISNs remain the fundamental units for managing funding and ensuring 

accountability. 

VA officials told 

us that VA implemented a new data collection system, the Homeless 

Operations Management and Evaluation System (HOMES), in April 2011, 

and VA is in the process of fully implementing reporting mechanisms 

Data Collection, Analysis, 

Reporting, and Systems
 

Page 9 GAO-12-726 Veteran Homelessness

required to generate reports based on HOMES data.13

According to HUD officials, as part of its section 8 program, HUD collects 

voucher utilization and household information using two information 

systems, the Voucher Management System (VMS) and Public and Indian 

Housing Information Center (PIC). PHAs are responsible for submitting 

VMS and PIC data to HUD. HUD uses VMS as a centralized system to 

monitor and manage PHAs’ use of vouchers. VMS data include PHAs’ 

monthly leasing and expenses for HUD-VASH vouchers, which HUD uses 

to obligate and disburse PHA funding. PHAs enter voucher totals in VMS 

rather than individual records of HUD-VASH voucher activity. HUD uses 

PIC as a centralized system to track information on households assisted 

and lease activity. PIC data fields include PHA identification, assistance 

program type (such as HUD-VASH), and household demographic 

information. PIC data fields also include information on income sources 

and amounts, assets, rent, housing type, and whether the subsidy is 

tenant-based or project-based.

HOMES collects 

information for several of VA’s homeless programs, including HUD-VASH. 

It is designed to track and maintain data on individual veterans as they 

move through VA’s system of care, including HUD-VASH participation. 

For example, VA’s HOMES user manual states that a HUD-VASH 

clinician who is familiar with the veteran should complete and submit a 

HUD-VASH monthly status report form for veterans currently enrolled in 

the program. The report is intended to capture various information on the 

veteran for the past 30-day period, including the number of contacts the 

veteran had for case management, the veteran’s housing arrangement, 

amount and source of any income, visits to the emergency room or other 

hospitalizations (including those for mental health conditions), use of 

alcohol or illegal drugs, and satisfaction (including with their current 

accommodations, safety of living, and leisure activities).

 

13According to VA, HOMES is a component of the Homeless Registry, the system which 

facilitates the actual HUD-VASH reporting functions. The Homeless Registry incorporates 

data collected through HOMES, legacy program evaluation data, VA benefits, 

administrative data, and data from the clinical records. According to one official, this 

registry is the foundation for the Homeless Services cube which allows numerous, 

multifaceted reporting, trending, aggregation, and dissection across time, location, 

programs and patient characteristics. 
 

Page 10 GAO-12-726 Veteran Homelessness

According to VA and HUD, the departments rely on VAMCs and PHAs to 

make determinations on veteran eligibility for the HUD-VASH program. 

Based on our meetings with staff at 10 VAMCs and 10 PHAs nationwide, 

VAMCs and PHAs generally followed the same procedures to determine 

that veterans met statutory requirements.

VAMC staff that we contacted described how they screened veterans to 

determine whether they met requirements for HUD-VASH.

• Homeless status: To verify that a veteran met the McKinney-Vento 

definition of “homeless,” VAMC staff told us that they interviewed the 

veteran. This included, for example, discussing the veteran’s current 

housing situation (homeless, precariously housed, doubled up, in own 

housing but facing housing loss/eviction, or stably housed), and 

history or pattern of housing stability/instability. Some VAMC staff also 

told us that community organizations referring veterans into the HUDVASH program may provide documentation supporting the veteran’s 

homeless status.

• VA health care: To verify that a veteran is eligible for VA health care, 

VAMC staff in several locations told us that they determined if the 

individual had an existing record in VA’s electronic patient record 

system. VA determines VA health care eligibility based on whether the 

individual meets the definition of veteran, has a minimum period of 

active duty service, and is enrolled in the VA health care system. A 

dishonorable discharge generally disqualifies an individual from 

receiving VA benefits.

• Case management: According to VAMC staff, a psychosocial 

assessment, which evaluates the veteran’s clinical and service needs,

helps them to determine an appropriate level of case management for 

each veteran. This involves considering whether the veteran has (1) 

complex service needs or health conditions, such as serious mental 

illness or substance use disorder; (2) nonchronic service needs that 

could be overcome or managed with treatment; or (3) few or minor 

service needs and is employable. Prior to enrollment in HUD-VASH, 

each veteran must agree to participate in case management. 

According to VA guidance, case managers must document the 

veteran’s HUD-VASH enrollment using a HOMES form. For veterans 

who do not enter the program, the form lists reasons the veteran did 

not enter, including the veteran’s refusal to agree with the terms of the 

program (case management). In Los Angeles, New York, Washington, 

D.C., and Wyoming, VAMC staff explained that they required veterans 

to sign a case management agreement. VA officials told us that this 

was a local management practice rather than a requirement based on 

HUD-VASH Eligibility 

Is Determined at the 

Local Level

Initial Screening 

Determines Whether 

Veterans Meet VA 

Requirements
 

Page 11 GAO-12-726 Veteran Homelessness

the HUD-VASH handbook. Following enrollment, the case manager 

and the veteran work together to develop an individualized treatment 

plan with goals that are revisited over the course of the veteran’s 

participation in HUD-VASH. VA views case management as a key 

component of HUD-VASH and its case management services are 

intended to help improve the veteran’s physical and mental health and 

enhance the veteran’s housing stability. Additionally, VA’s case 

management aims to support recoveries from physical and mental 

illness and substance use disorders. According to VA, HUD-VASH 

does not require veterans to be sober prior to program enrollment; 

however, the veteran’s treatment plan is recovery-focused and 

incorporates his or her recovery goals. In addition to monitoring the 

veteran’s treatment plan, the role of the case manager involves 

helping the veteran to access other medical and behavioral treatment 

resources as needed.

VA regards failure to participate in case management as grounds for 

termination or denial of program participation. However, several VAMC 

staff told us that VA makes every effort to re-engage veterans in case 

management before proceeding with termination for nonparticipation. If 

VA determines that the veteran no longer requires case management 

services, the veteran may continue to receive the HUD-VASH housing 

subsidy. In such cases, the VA case manager should notify the PHA that 

case management is no longer required but that the veteran’s eligibility 

for a housing voucher remains unchanged. If the PHA has a voucher 

available in its regular section 8 program, the PHA can offer that voucher 

to the veteran and make the HUD-VASH voucher available to another 

homeless veteran.

As previously noted, VA refers veterans who meet its requirements for 

HUD-VASH to PHAs, subject to voucher availability. The HUD-VASH 

handbook requires that if there are no available case management 

openings or vouchers, HUD-VASH program staff place the veteran on an 

interest list. According to VA, this list consists of all individuals who have 

been in contact with HUD-VASH staff and expressed interest in the 

program. These persons are subsequently screened for eligibility and a 

determination is made regarding acceptance. If a veteran is not eligible 

but vouchers are available, staff would make a referral to other VA or 

community resources. If a veteran is eligible but no vouchers are 

available, program staff must document the reason for denial in HOMES 

as lack of voucher availability. As of March 28, 2012, VA data show that 

an estimated 1,689 or 4 percent of the HUD-VASH vouchers authorized 

nationwide were available for use. Of the 10 VAMCs we contacted, 6 had 
 

Page 12 GAO-12-726 Veteran Homelessness

vouchers available for use as of March 28, 2012, including the Bronx 

(New York) VAMC with an estimated 63 vouchers available for use and 

the Seattle VAMC with an estimated 32 vouchers available for use. The 

other four VAMCs had fewer than five remaining vouchers as of the same 

date. Regarding interest lists, staff at the Washington, D.C. VAMC told us 

that there were about 1,000 veterans on their facility’s interest list. The 

staff also told us that they had developed a screening tool to help make 

acceptance decisions and prioritize remaining vouchers for veterans on 

their interest list. According to VA, in addition to targeting chronically 

homeless veterans, consideration for HUD-VASH enrollment also may be 

given to women, families with children, disabled veterans, and those who 

served in Operations Iraqi Freedom and New Dawn in Iraq and Operation 

Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan.

VAMC staff we contacted generally told us that they routinely directed 

veterans screened for HUD-VASH to other suitable VA programs, 

including VA’s Grant and Per Diem and Domiciliary Care for Homeless 

Veterans programs.14 For example, the staff explained that they might 

refer veterans to other VA programs pending HUD-VASH acceptance if 

another program was more immediately appropriate for the veteran or if 

the veteran needed services not available under HUD-VASH (such as 

dental care). Some VAMC staff also mentioned local resources as 

another referral option.

PHA staff that we contacted described how they screened veterans to 

determine whether they met income and other requirements after 

receiving a referral from the VAMC. 

• Income: PHA staff told us that they generally relied on third-party 

sources, such as the Social Security or Veterans Benefits 

 

14Initially called the Comprehensive Service Programs, the Grant and Per Diem program 

was introduced as a pilot program in 1992 through the Homeless Veterans 

Comprehensive Services Act (Pub. L. No. 102-590). The law establishing the Grant and 

Per Diem program, which was made permanent in the Homeless Veterans 

Comprehensive Services Act of 2001 (Pub. L. No. 107-95), authorizes VA to make grants

to public entities or private nonprofit organizations to provide services and transitional 

housing to homeless veterans. Domiciliary care consists of rehabilitative services for 

physically and mentally ill or aged veterans who need assistance, but are not in need of 

the level of care offered by hospitals and nursing homes. Congress first provided funds for 

the Domiciliary Care program for homeless veterans in 1987 through a supplemental 

appropriations act (Pub. L. No. 100-71).

PHAs Conduct Additional 

Screening on Income and 

Other Requirements
 

Page 13 GAO-12-726 Veteran Homelessness

administrations, to verify the reported income of HUD-VASH 

applicants. HUD requires PHAs to include certain sources of 

household income in determining income eligibility, including earned 

and benefits-related income. The HUD-VASH voucher subsidizes 

recipients’ rental payments and applicants must provide proof that 

their income level qualifies for this assistance.

• State sex offender registry status: PHA staff told us that they 

checked the sex offender registry for all members of the veteran 

household who were at least 18. In New York, the PHA staff informed 

us that they checked for all household members over 16 in 

compliance with the age limit for that state. If the veteran was subject 

to lifetime registration under a state registration program for sex 

offenders, the PHA would refuse the voucher application. If a family 

member who intended to occupy the assisted unit was subject to 

lifetime registration under such a program, the application would 

proceed only if that individual was removed permanently from the 

household.

To familiarize veterans approved for a HUD-VASH voucher with the 

PHA’s requirements for HUD-VASH, staff at some PHAs we contacted 

told us that they conducted briefings with veterans. In several locations, 

PHAs held such briefings in a group format. Staff at PHAs with a smaller 

number of HUD-VASH vouchers sometimes met one-on-one with 

veterans.

Once the veteran is in housing, PHAs reverify income and complete a 

housing unit inspection, typically on an annual basis. Some PHAs may 

conduct recertification procedures less frequently.15

 

15PHAs that participate in HUD’s Moving to Work demonstration program have the 

flexibility to design and test various approaches for providing and administering housing 

assistance that are intended to reduce costs or to provide incentives to families with 

children where the head of household is working or seeking employment opportunities. 

For example, Moving to Work PHAs can conduct less frequent recertifications for certain 

households living on fixed incomes. For more information on the Moving to Work 

demonstration program, see GAO, Moving to Work Demonstration: Opportunities Exist to 

Improve Information and Monitoring

One of the PHAs in 

our sample was in this category and conducted recipient renewals 

annually or biannually on a case-by-case basis. The PHA can terminate 

assistance when a veteran has been evicted from a unit or for serious 

and repeated lease violations. However, prior to terminating any section 8 

participant, PHAs must provide the opportunity for an informal hearing. 

According to HUD officials, as part of HUD’s routine review of PHA 

GAO-12-490 (Washington, D.C.: Apr. 19, 2012).
 

Page 14 GAO-12-726 Veteran Homelessness

records (such as to determine the accuracy of family income and rent 

calculations), HUD may review HUD-VASH tenant files if the files are 

included in a larger sample, but such reviews are not specific to the HUDVASH program.

Both VA and HUD report on HUD-VASH using information from VA’s 

Dashboard database. VA uses the Dashboard to collect summary count 

information from VAMCs and provides monthly Dashboard-based reports 

to HUD and Congress. Those reports typically include several data 

elements or measures on voucher utilization, including the number of 

veterans issued a voucher and looking for housing and the number of 

veterans housed (under lease). See table 1 for additional Dashboard data 

elements.

Table 1: HUD-VASH Program Measures That VA Collects in Dashboard System and Reports 

Data element Description

Total vouchers authorized and appropriated Total number of vouchers allocated to each PHA partnering with the 

VAMC facility since fiscal year 2008

Vouchers currently in use Total number of vouchers either reserved for or issued to a veteran

Vouchers reserved for veterans who are undergoing PHA 

validation

Number of vouchers VAMC has reserved for veterans who have been 

referred to a participating PHA for voucher application processing

Vouchers issued to veterans who are actively seeking a 

lease

Number of veterans already awarded a voucher by a PHA and who are 

currently seeking housing

Current veterans housed/ under lease Number of veterans awarded a voucher by a PHA and living in PHAapproved housing

Source: VA.

In addition to the Dashboard, VA uses HOMES to collect data on 

veterans. HOMES data reflect a series of electronic forms that case 

managers must complete from the time a veteran is screened for the 

program to the time a veteran leaves the program. Although HOMES data 

could be used to create the information captured in the Dashboard 

Both VA and HUD 

Have Been Taking 

Steps to Address Data 

Reliability

VA Provides the Primary 

Data for HUD-VASH 

Reporting 
 

Page 15 GAO-12-726 Veteran Homelessness

database, VA has not yet completed development and testing of reportgenerating mechanisms necessary to release reports based on HOMES 

data, according to VA officials. VA officials also told us that they intended 

to begin using HOMES data for congressional reporting purposes by July 

2012 and eventually discontinue the Dashboard reporting mechanism.

VA has taken a number of steps to help ensure the reliability of HUDVASH data reported though the Dashboard database. We compared VA’s 

processes against standards for internal control, including, among other 

things, having processes and procedures that provide reasonable 

assurance of the reliability of reports for internal and external use by

• establishing and supporting a control environment with clearly defined 

areas of responsibility and appropriate lines of reporting,

• incorporating controls over information processing, and

• monitoring performance measures and indicators.16

HUD-VASH reporting responsibilities, as identified in VA’s guidance, 

appeared to be consistent with HUD-VASH program responsibilities. For 

instance, case managers collect and submit HUD-VASH evaluation data 

on veterans. HUD-VASH program coordinators are responsible for 

conducting appropriate audits of performance measures. VAMC facility 

directors are responsible for verifying that staff provide timely reporting of 

veteran activity. Finally, the VISN’s homeless coordinators are 

responsible for helping ensure that data are submitted in a timely manner 

and the VISN directors are responsible for helping ensure the accuracy of 

these data.

According to VA officials, the national center reviews individual weekly 

Dashboard reports from VISNs for reasonableness by comparing 

submissions with prior week reports. Questions or concerns are 

addressed to the respective VISN and the national center corrects weekly 

reports accordingly.

As discussed previously, Dashboard reports include a number of program 

performance measures, including a specific measure for the program’s 

goal of moving veterans out of homelessness (the number of veterans 

 

16See GAO, Standards for Internal Control in the Federal Government, 

GAO/AIMD-00-21.3.1 (Washington, D.C.: November 1999).

VA Has Taken a Number of 

Steps to Help Ensure Data 

Reliability
 

Page 16 GAO-12-726 Veteran Homelessness

under lease). In addition to providing data for external reporting, VA 

officials told us that the Dashboard database serves as a program 

management tool. According to VA officials, the national center uses the 

Dashboard reports to monitor program status at individual sites and also 

compares program performance across sites.

VA also has taken a number of steps to help ensure the reliability of HUDVASH data collected through HOMES. Consistent with standards for 

internal control, HOMES reporting responsibilities are clearly defined in 

VA guidance and, according to VA officials, HOMES data are collected for 

individual veterans as opposed to the Dashboard’s facility-level counts 

that did not identify individuals. HOMES includes a number of additional 

controls. For example, electronic data checks incorporated into HOMES 

improve data validity and reduce the risk of errors. Authorized program 

service providers enter program and veteran information into HOMES but, 

where appropriate, certain data fields automatically limit responses to 

predefined data ranges to reduce data entry errors. According to VA 

officials, the system is capable of flagging records for review based on 

approximate matches of name or Social Security number. Furthermore, 

only certain authorized users may edit records after data are submitted.

Although counts of voucher use generated from HUD’s and VA’s 

information systems produce different totals, a proposed informationsharing agreement between HUD and VA is intended to facilitate data 

sharing and identify and resolve discrepancies. HUD has compared VA 

data with its VMS and PIC data for the purpose of validating HUD-VASH 

data.17

HUD provided its analysis of VA, VMS, and PIC data comparisons of 

vouchers under lease. For November 2011, HUD’s analysis listed three 

Validating data (in this case, Dashboard data) with an independent 

data source (such as HUD data) is an additional standard for internal 

control. HUD collects some HUD-VASH data, including the number of 

veterans receiving housing assistance (veterans under lease) through its 

VMS and PIC systems, but generally does not use these data for HUDVASH reporting purposes. According to HUD and VA officials, both 

departments consistently use Dashboard data for reporting purposes.

 

17However, this review and validation is not incorporated in VA’s monthly Dashboard 

reports due to time lags associated with HUD’s reporting processes, according to agency 

officials.

VA and HUD Have Been 

Taking Steps to Reduce 

Data Discrepancies
 

Page 17 GAO-12-726 Veteran Homelessness

totals for vouchers under lease: 27,159 vouchers according to VMS, 

24,768 vouchers according to PIC, and 27,285 vouchers according to VA 

data. The totals also differed when HUD compared voucher counts at 

individual PHAs for the same month. HUD noted three totals for vouchers 

under lease at the Harrisburg Housing Authority: 19 vouchers according 

to VMS, 33 according to PIC, and 34 according to VA data. In another 

example, HUD noted three totals for vouchers under lease at the Housing 

Authority of Waco: 116 vouchers according to VMS, 13 according to PIC, 

and 119 according to VA data.

According to HUD officials, data discrepancies between VA and HUD 

data may have been due to one or more factors, assuming VA data 

provided at that time were accurate.

• First, PHAs may have incorrectly or inaccurately entered PIC or VMS 

data that relate to HUD-VASH participation counts.

• Second, PIC and VMS use different methodologies for assigning 

HUD-VASH voucher counts when veterans move across PHA 

jurisdictions, which could affect comparisons of participation data at 

the facility level. Under the HUD-VASH program, a veteran may use a 

HUD-VASH voucher in a jurisdiction outside of the PHA that initially 

awarded the voucher.18

• Third, in comparison with VA reporting, HUD has taken longer to 

make data available for analysis. For example, up to 80 days may 

elapse from the time a PHA must submit VMS data to the time that 

VMS information is available for analysis. According to VA, the 

agency typically has provided Dashboard data to Congress within 50 

days after the end of each reporting month. 

VMS voucher counts are associated with the 

initial voucher allocation site, regardless of the participating veteran’s 

current location. PIC counts veteran households assisted and 

associates those counts with the veteran’s current location.

HUD’s VMS and VA’s Dashboard data are comparable when veteran 

participation is categorized by location; however, these respective data 

sources are not tied to personally identifying information. Therefore, the 

agencies have a difficult time identifying the specific source of data 

discrepancies.

 

18At the discretion of the VAMC and subject to program requirements, a HUD-VASH 

participant can move outside of the jurisdiction of the PHA that made the initial award as 

long as VA case management can be continued in the receiving PHA’s jurisdiction.
 

Page 18 GAO-12-726 Veteran Homelessness

A proposed information-sharing agreement between HUD and VA is 

intended to facilitate record-level data sharing between the agencies and 

allow them to precisely identify and resolve data discrepancies between 

HUD’s PIC data and VA’s HOMES data. According to VA officials, once 

VA fully implements new reporting mechanisms, HOMES data will enable 

VA to provide summary status reports and identify information for veteran 

records used to create the summary totals. Further, they said that the 

agreement will allow VA to provide HUD with HUD-VASH data including 

the participating VAMC and PHA, and personally identifying information 

for each veteran. According to HUD officials, HUD intends to compare 

these records with PIC data (which include personally identifying 

information) and then the agencies plan to coordinate with field offices to 

resolve discrepancies. As of June 2012, the information-sharing 

agreement was under review. The agencies expected to complete final 

revisions to the agreement by June 25, 2012 and execute the agreement 

by August 2012. If VA fully implements HOMES as a data source for 

reporting purposes and the agencies execute the agreement as planned, 

it would allow the agencies to match case records in the event of data 

discrepancies. Although the agreement is not expected to affect VA’s 

monthly report submissions to Congress, according to the agencies, the 

information-sharing agreement should further improve their ability to 

validate HUD-VASH data on an ongoing basis.

Information VA reports for the HUD-VASH program has focused on 

voucher utilization (such as the number of veterans housed), but HOMES 

is supposed to provide VA with additional data on veteran outcomes. VA 

currently reports a number of measures (or various data) related to 

voucher utilization in monthly reports to Congress (see table 2).

HUD-VASH Data 

Show the Program 

Has Moved Veterans 

into Housing

HUD-VASH Performance
 

Page 19 GAO-12-726 Veteran Homelessness

Table 2: HUD-VASH Measures on Voucher Utilization (as of March 28, 2012)

Measure Number

Percentage (of vouchers 

authorized)

Vouchers authorized 37,552

Veterans in housing 31,197 83

Vouchers issued to veterans actively 

seeking a lease 4,046 11

Vouchers reserved for veterans 

undergoing PHA validation 620 2 

Vouchers available for use 1,689 4 

Source: VA.

These measures show that HUD-VASH has moved veterans out of 

homelessness. Nearly 31,200 veterans lived in HUD-VASH-supported 

housing as of March 28, 2012; veterans in housing represented about 83 

percent of the vouchers authorized under the program. In addition, PHAs 

issued 4,046 vouchers to veterans who were actively seeking a lease and 

VAMCs reserved 620 vouchers for veterans undergoing PHA validation 

as of the same date. According to VA, the department’s goal is for 

veterans in housing to represent at least 88 percent of authorized HUDVASH vouchers by September 30, 2012. As figure 3 shows, several 

states had achieved or nearly achieved this goal as of March 2012, 

including the four states with the largest number of vouchers authorized—

California, Florida, New York, and Texas.
 

Page 20 GAO-12-726 Veteran Homelessness

Figure 3: HUD-VASH Voucher Allocations and Percentage of Vouchers under Lease by State, as of March 28, 2012
 

Page 21 GAO-12-726 Veteran Homelessness

For the 10 VAMCs we contacted, the percentage of veterans in housing 

varied, ranging from 70 percent to 95 percent as of March 28, 2012. For 

VAMCs further from the goal, such as the Sheridan VAMC in Wyoming 

(70 percent in housing), challenges with getting veterans placed in 

housing may be related to local housing markets. For example, Sheridan 

VAMC staff told us that there was a lack of affordable housing in the area. 

Similarly, staff at Greater Los Angeles Health Care System (79 percent in 

housing) told us that suitable housing stock (meeting program 

requirements for cost and housing quality) was limited, particularly in the 

West Los Angeles area where the VAMC facility is located. VA data show 

that both VAMCs had assigned 100 percent of their authorized vouchers 

to a veteran as of March 2012. However, nearly 30 percent of the 

Sheridan VAMC’s vouchers and 21 percent of the Greater Los Angeles 

Health Care System’s vouchers were assigned to veterans actively 

seeking housing at that time. We discuss challenges with getting veterans 

placed in housing in greater detail later in this report.

In October 2011, VA submitted a report to Congress that provides 

additional descriptive and performance-related information on HUD-VASH 

for June 2008 through September 2010. Summary information from the 

report includes

• characteristics of veterans admitted to the program;

• average number of days at each stage of the admission and housing 

process;

• veterans’ typical 90-day housing situation within 3, 6, and 12 months 

of beginning case management; and

• reasons for ending case management.

For example, according to VA, for veterans who completed the housing 

process, the time frame from initial referral to HUD-VASH to the move 

into permanent housing averaged 130 days.

VA has plans to report additional information, such as measures of the 

time it took to complete various processes within the program (see table 

3). In December 2011, VA issued guidance to its service networks 

outlining several outcome measures and related targets for which the 

department planned to start collecting data in fiscal year 2012.
 

Page 22 GAO-12-726 Veteran Homelessness

Table 3: Selected HUD-VASH Outcome Metrics, 2011

Performance metric Target

Time frame to make decision on 

acceptance into HUD-VASH program

Within 3 working days of referral

Time frame to refer veteran to PHA once 

accepted into HUD-VASH program

Within 15 days of acceptance into the 

program

Time frame from acceptance into HUDVASH program to placement in housingWithin 100 days of acceptance into the 

program

Percentage of discharges from HUD-VASH 

program for adverse reasons

10 percent or less

Source: VA.

VA also recently began conducting research (although not always 

nationwide) related to (1) the Housing First approach to supportive 

housing; (2) positive and negative outcomes for veterans who leave the 

HUD-VASH program; and (3) various case management approaches for 

treating veterans for substance abuse.19

• Based on piloting the Housing First approach in Washington, D.C.’s 

HUD-VASH program in fiscal year 2009, VA determined that Housing 

First yielded several positive outcomes. The study compared results 

for 105 HUD-VASH vouchers set aside for Housing First and 70 

vouchers that followed VA’s usual treatment process. VA found that, 

under Housing First, veteran placement into housing took, on 

average, 35 days from admission, compared with 223 days under the 

usual treatment process. Additionally, under Housing First, a reduced 

proportion of veterans had used emergency room and inpatient 

mental health services, and the housing retention rate was 98 percent 

after 1 year, compared with 86 percent under the usual treatment 

process. The pilot was expanded to 13 additional sites in fiscal year 

2012, with VA and HUD monitoring for 3 years. Each site had 50 

vouchers set aside for Housing First.

 VA officials told us that they 

intend to use the results of these studies to assess operations and update 

policies and procedures accordingly, and to offer guidance on innovative 

practices to VAMCs. In June 2012, VA officials provided us with updates 

on these studies:

 

19The Housing First model aims to provide rapid rehousing for homeless families and 

identifies the need for interventions and social services support after housing is secured. 
 

Page 23 GAO-12-726 Veteran Homelessness

• Based on program data available at the end of June 2011, VA 

analyzed veterans who were already housed and left HUD-VASH for 

reasons categorized as positive (such as accomplishing goals or no 

longer needing program supports), negative (such as failing to comply 

with program requirements or being evicted), and neutral (such as 

death, illness, or transferring to another program site). According to 

VA, within the sample, 37 percent of exits were positive, 23 percent 

were negative, 30 percent were neutral, and there were insufficient 

data for 10 percent of exits. VA officials told us that VA and HUD will 

work together to conduct a more in-depth study of veterans leaving 

the program for adverse reasons to identify the major factors involved. 

The officials informed us that as of March 2012, the departments were 

in the process of obtaining OMB approval to follow up with veterans 

who had left HUD-VASH.

• VA has launched a 3-site research study comparing the effectiveness 

of four different intervention methods for veterans with substance use 

disorders and mental health problems. Methods tested will include 

standard case management, intensive case management, telecoaching, and electronic interactive practices. As of June 2012, VA 

officials told us that they had begun interviewing veterans to 

participate in the study. VA did not expect results to be available until 

2013.

HUD-VASH case managers have started to complete a monthly status 

form in HOMES that includes data on outcomes. For example, case 

managers must record (1) changes in the veteran’s community 

adjustment and social contacts; (2) hospitalizations for unscheduled 

medical conditions or mental health conditions; (3) employment status 

and other sources of income or benefits; and (4) use of alcohol or illegal 

drugs, using a clinical rating scale. In addition to the monthly status form, 

case managers are required to complete in HOMES a HUD-VASH exit 

form for each veteran who is discharged from the program. The exit form 

includes some of the indicators in the monthly report, the veteran’s status 

upon discharge, and the reason for exit.

Housing stability for veterans participating in HUD-VASH is a component 

of the program’s primary goal, along with moving those veterans out of 

homelessness and into housing. VA’s case management efforts play an 

integral role in helping veterans to achieve housing stability. VA’s current 

monthly reports, which show the number of veterans housed under the 

program, do not address housing stability. However, VA’s October 2011 

report to Congress gave some indication of general voucher turnover and 

housing tenure. More specifically, the report showed the number and 
 

Page 24 GAO-12-726 Veteran Homelessness

percentage of veterans leaving the program for positive and negative 

reasons at various stages of the housing process. It also showed 

veterans’ typical housing situation over the previous 90 days after 3, 6, 

and 12 months of participation. Beginning in April 2011, VA told us that 

case managers began using HOMES to record information on HUDVASH participants. This would include entering information on each 

veteran’s housing situation upon enrollment, every 30 days following 

enrollment, and upon exit from the program. While not enough time has 

passed to assess the reporting related to HOMES data, VA expects it to 

provide a range of useful data for site monitoring and program 

management. Along with other data expected to be collected in HOMES, 

detailed information on veterans’ housing situation every 30 days should 

provide VA with an opportunity to assess program performance in helping 

veterans to achieve housing stability.

Based on our interviews at 10 VAMCs and partnering PHAs, staff 

frequently cited four challenges relating to program administration or 

processes that they perceived as negatively affecting the goal of housing 

homeless veterans and helping them maintain housing stability.

Delayed VAMC referrals to the PHA. As previously noted, for fiscal year 

2012, VA’s goal is for VAMCs to refer veterans accepted into HUD-VASH 

to the PHA within 15 days of acceptance into the program. However, PHA 

staff discussed challenges associated with receiving timely HUD-VASH 

referrals from the partnering VAMC, particularly at the beginning of a new 

allocation year. In 9 of the 10 locations, PHA staff told us that delayed 

referrals from VA slowed the voucher utilization process. While PHAs 

generally can begin accepting referrals once HUD awards the vouchers, 

delayed referrals from VA extended the time frame between a PHA 

receiving the vouchers and getting the voucher holder into housing. Staff 

at King County Housing Authority in Seattle suggested that VA’s initial 

delay in making HUD-VASH referrals was related to VA needing to hire 

and assign case managers, while HUD could move quickly to pass 

funding on to the PHAs to issue vouchers. Staff at two VAMCs 

acknowledged the challenge in making initial referrals to the PHA. In one 

location, the staff explained that to provide an adequate number of case 

managers, they would need to know how many new vouchers had been 

added and, therefore, how many new HUD-VASH veterans they would 

need to serve. Moreover, once new case managers were hired, they had 

to undergo training and orientation, resulting in additional delays. Staff in 

several PHA locations noted that VAMC referral time frames had been 

improving.

HUD Has Disseminated 

Strategies to Address 

Some Program Challenges
 

Page 25 GAO-12-726 Veteran Homelessness

HUD-VASH case manager workload. VA’s goal is to have a ratio of 1

case manager to 25 veterans. However, when we contacted VAMCs in 

January and February 2012, several VAMC staff told us that some case 

managers had 40 or more cases, as the following examples illustrate:

• In South Dakota, staff at the Meade County Housing and 

Redevelopment Commission expressed general concern that the 

workload for the case manager serving their area may have been 

unreasonable or otherwise impractical. According to staff at Black 

Hills Health Care System, which partners with the housing authority, 

the case manager assigned to Meade County and other locations 

managed 51 cases in total.

• Similarly, case managers at James A. Haley VAMC in Tampa had 

between 45 and 50 cases. Staff at the Tampa Housing Authority told 

us that more intensive case management could reduce or eliminate 

veteran terminations from HUD-VASH due to nonpayment or other 

violations of the housing agreement.

• Staff at Greater Los Angeles Health Care System told us that efforts 

were under way to reduce their average caseload of 45 per case 

manager. The facility was accepting applications for additional case 

managers and also planning to contract with an external entity to 

supplement case management services.

VA has made efforts to address staffing at its VAMCs, and when we later 

contacted two of the VAMCs identified with challenges, the staff told us 

that hiring additional case managers had reduced their caseloads 

significantly. Additionally, VA provided us with a report on HUD-VASH 

program hiring as of February 29, 2012. The report showed that 95 

percent of program positions across all VISNs were filled. Among the 

VAMCs we contacted, the percentage of HUD-VASH positions filled 

ranged from 50 percent to 100 percent. Case managers represent the 

majority of HUD-VASH positions, but some facilities have also hired 

clinical supervisors, substance use disorder specialists, peer support and 

housing specialists, and other program support staff. 

Identifying housing for veterans. Staff at VAMCs in several locations 

told us that veterans experienced challenges with finding housing. In 

Wyoming, the VAMC staff explained that the market for affordable 

housing was tight in Casper and Sheridan, areas served by the VAMC. 

Additionally, they said that the partnering PHA that served Sheridan 

recently reduced the maximum allowable housing assistance payment 

from $595 to $571 and this amount limited access to decent housing in 

the area. The staff added that many landlords also have been reluctant to 
 

Page 26 GAO-12-726 Veteran Homelessness

rent to veterans with criminal histories. VAMC staff in South Dakota 

similarly noted that a partnering PHA had decreased the housing 

allowance for the area it served while some landlords had increased their 

rents. They explained that they used communications with a local 

homeless coalition, community stakeholders, and landlords to identify 

options for affordable housing. At Greater Los Angeles Health Care 

System, the staff told us that a housing specialist had been hired and kept 

staff informed of new housing stock while working with developers and 

realtors to identify suitable housing. According to the VAMC staff, the 

housing specialist also has conducted outreach to educate landlords on 

HUD-VASH and advocate for veterans, making them aware that case 

management will be available to HUD-VASH tenants.

Move-in resources for veterans. Both PHA and VAMC staff discussed 

challenges veterans experience accessing the funds and household items 

that they needed to move in once they found a suitable housing unit. In 

some instances, veterans were delayed in moving into their units because 

of a lack of available funds to pay rental application fees, security 

deposits for rent or utilities, and the first month’s rent. Such delays could 

affect VA’s goal for placing veterans into housing within 100 days of being 

accepted into the program.

The availability of resources to help veterans varied among locations, but 

generally was more limited outside of larger cities. Two of the 10 locations 

had a consistent source that could provide this type of assistance to 

veterans. For example, New York City has a Department of Homeless 

Services that provides a range of services to homeless individuals. 

Through this entity, HUD-VASH veterans could receive assistance with 

security deposits, first month’s rent, and household items. In Seattle, 

HUD-VASH veterans could access a limited-term Human Services and 

Veterans Levy that assisted veterans, military personnel and their 

families, and others in need through a variety of housing and supportive 

services. In other locations, VAMC and PHA staff told us that veterans 

had relied on local public or nonprofit assistance and on Homeless 

Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program funds that were temporarily 
 

Page 27 GAO-12-726 Veteran Homelessness

provided under the Recovery Act.20 Additionally, several said that they 

hoped veterans would be able to use funds that would be provided under 

the new Supportive Services for Veteran Families grant program.21

In some locations, the VAMC staff had developed other approaches to 

mitigating this challenge for veterans. For example, at several facilities, 

including Greater Los Angeles Health Care System, Black Hills Health 

Care System in South Dakota, and Washington, D.C. VAMC, the staff 

explained that they solicited landlords’ cooperation in waiving or 

spreading out up-front fees. Additionally, staff at White River Junction 

VAMC in Vermont had developed a handbook for veterans participating in 

VA’s homeless programs that included a community resources guide. 

They explained that the guide was included to assist veterans with 

obtaining furniture, household items, and other resources they needed to 

move into housing.

Homeless Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program funds are no 

longer available and the other sources mentioned, according to the staff, 

often were insufficient or were not guaranteed.

In April 2012, HUD released a best practices document that included 

practices submitted by PHAs and VAMCs that administer HUD-VASH. 

According to HUD, the purpose of the document is to share effective 

strategies for administering HUD-VASH and highlight the efforts of 

specific sites and other partners. According to HUD officials, VA was 

involved in soliciting best practices from VAMCs and reviewed the 

document that HUD developed. HUD intends to revise the document over 

time. While the document was developed from the housing standpoint, it 

includes information on strategies for carrying out procedures pertaining 

to general PHA and VAMC management. More specifically, it describes 

 

20Under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (Pub. L. No. 111-5), $1.5 billion 

was appropriated for Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program grants. 

The grants were distributed to communities and states to provide short- or medium-term 

rental assistance and relocation and stabilization services, including housing search, 

mediation or outreach to property owners, credit repair, security or utility deposits, utility 

payments, rental assistance for a final month at a location, moving cost assistance, case 

management, or other appropriate activities. 

21The Supportive Services for Veteran Families program was established by the Veterans’ 

Mental Health and Other Care Improvements Act of 2008. The program provides grants to 

private nonprofit organizations and consumer cooperatives that will coordinate or provide 

supportive services to very low-income veteran families residing in or transitioning to 

permanent housing.
 

Page 28 GAO-12-726 Veteran Homelessness

the ways in which individual sites have addressed specific challenges 

such as those identified previously. For example, in addition to the Los 

Angeles VAMC hiring a housing specialist, the document described other 

facilities’ efforts to direct veterans to suitable housing by contracting with 

a nonprofit housing referral organization, maintaining a list of potential 

housing options in the VAMC’s service area, and conducting targeted 

landlord outreach. Similarly, several PHAs had established a loan fund or 

trust fund to assist veterans with move-in costs, and one PHA applied for 

county Community Development Block Grant funds to assist veterans 

with security and utility deposits.

Advocates for veterans and the homeless that we contacted generally 

agreed that HUD-VASH was essential in helping homeless veterans to 

access housing and long-term treatment. Representatives at one of the 

organizations stated that the long-term housing HUD-VASH provides was 

crucial to addressing the immediate and long-term needs of homeless 

individuals and that combining case management with housing was 

appropriate for veterans with the most significant problems. Additionally, 

representatives at two organizations told us that HUD and VA sharing a 

common strategic goal had been beneficial and that program 

administrators had been responsive to the HUD-VASH community. 

Moreover, they noted that the program’s administration had improved 

over time. Specifically, they explained that VA had been willing to make 

changes to improve HUD-VASH, including in terms of leadership.

The advocates offered suggestions for improving the HUD-VASH 

program, including the following.

• One advocate suggested that the program should continue to target 

those with the greatest need for assistance and explore flexibility for 

service delivery mechanisms, including having case managers 

conduct more work in communities and outside of the traditional 

VAMC appointment approach. Related to this point, recently the 

Veterans Health Administration Homeless Program National Director 

noted that VA was taking steps to have more of a presence in the 

community. This included hiring HUD-VASH case managers living in 

communities where veterans were being served and seeking more 

opportunities to have case managers co-located with communitybased organizations.

• A second advocate thought it would be useful to remove the section 8 

limits on project-based housing under HUD-VASH to allow developers 

to allocate portions of higher-quality, mixed-use developments for 

Advocacy Organizations 

Generally Shared Positive 

Views of HUD-VASH and 

Also Suggested Program 

Improvements
 

Page 29 GAO-12-726 Veteran Homelessness

project-based HUD-VASH vouchers. The representative explained 

that this would be particularly helpful in locales with limited affordable 

housing and in areas that are desirable (particularly for female 

veterans with dependent children). HUD officials clarified that PHAs 

can make the case to HUD to have funding for project-based HUDVASH vouchers exceed the voucher budget authority limit of 20 

percent.22

• A third advocate expressed that VA should increase its outreach to 

veteran service organizations to advertise to veterans who may not be 

participating in VA programs. VA officials told us that VA has a 

national outreach initiative under way that includes collaborating with 

veteran service organizations to make information on HUD-VASH and 

other VA programs more readily available.

According to HUD officials, exceeding the limit must be tied 

to effective administration of HUD-VASH, and HUD had not received 

any such requests as of May 2012.

• Finally, a fourth advocate emphasized that sufficient resources 

needed to be committed to HUD-VASH in support of the goal of 

ending veteran homelessness. The representative explained that a 

certain volume of vouchers needed to be in the system for it to be 

successful and that inconsistent resources led to uncertainty among 

service providers and veterans who need to access the program.

We provided a draft of this report to the Secretary of Housing and Urban 

Development, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, and the Executive 

Director of the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness. We received 

comments from HUD, VA, and the Interagency Council that are 

reproduced in appendixes II, III, and IV, respectively. HUD and VA also 

provided technical comments, which we incorporated in the report as 

appropriate. In their responses, HUD, VA, and the Interagency Council 

generally agreed with our conclusions. HUD and VA noted that they were 

committed to their partnership and the continued improvement of the 

 

22Under the voucher program (including HUD-VASH), PHAs are limited by law to using up 

to only twenty percent of their overall tenant-based voucher budget authority for projectbased vouchers. 42 U.S.C. § 1437f(o)(13). HUD has the authority to grant a PHA’s 

request to exceed the 20 percent limit for the purposes of project-basing HUD-VASH 

vouchers. In connection with the HUD-VASH annual appropriations since 2008, HUD has 

been authorized to waive (with a few exceptions) statutory and regulatory requirements 

applicable to the HUD-VASH program, “upon a finding by the Secretary [of HUD] that any 

such waivers. . . are necessary for the effective delivery and administration of such 

voucher assistance.” See, e.g., HUD’s fiscal year 2012 appropriations, Pub. L. 112-55, 

125 Stat. 552, 678-679 (2011). 

Agency Comments
 

Page 30 GAO-12-726 Veteran Homelessness

HUD-VASH program. The Interagency Council stated in its response that 

VA and HUD work closely on local implementation through VA medical 

centers and public housing agencies, and have improved lease-up rates, 

enhanced data collection, and reduced the amount of time it takes to 

house veterans in the HUD-VASH program.

We are sending copies of this report to appropriate congressional 

committees; the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development; Secretary 

of Veterans Affairs; and the Executive Director of the U.S. Interagency 

Council on Homelessness. This report will also be available at no charge 

on GAO’s Web site at http://www.gao.gov.

If you or your staff have any questions about this report, please contact 

me at (202) 512-8678 or cackleya@gao.gov. Contact points for our 

Offices of Congressional Affairs and Public Affairs may be found on the 

last page of this report. GAO staff who made major contributions to this 

report are listed in Appendix V.

Alicia Puente Cackley

Director, Financial Markets and

 Community Investment 
Appendix I: Objectives, Scope, and 

Methodology

Page 31 GAO-12-726 Veteran Homelessness

Our objectives were to examine (1) how the Department of Veterans 

Affairs (VA) and the Department of Housing and Urban Development 

(HUD) determine that veterans who participate in the HUD-VA Supportive 

Housing (HUD-VASH) program meet the statutory eligibility criteria, (2) 

what data VA and HUD collect and report on the HUD-VASH program 

and the steps that VA and HUD take to help ensure the reliability of these 

data, and (3) what is known about the performance of the HUD-VASH 

program.

To address all three objectives, we reviewed VA and HUD documents to 

determine the purpose of the HUD-VASH program and the agencies’ 

roles and responsibilities related to HUD-VASH. In addition, we reviewed 

federal strategic plans that address veteran homelessness to obtain 

information on VA’s and HUD’s goals related to reducing veteran 

homelessness. We interviewed officials at the Veterans Health 

Administration within VA and in HUD’s Office of Public and Indian 

Housing and Office of Community Planning and Development. We 

reviewed VA and HUD Office of Inspector General reports pertaining to 

HUD-VASH and our previous reports. We selected a purposive, nonrepresentative sample of 10 locations in which to interview management 

and staff at VA medical centers (VAMC) and their partnering public 

housing agencies (PHA) (see fig. 4). Results of these interviews cannot 

be projected to other VAMCs or PHAs. We selected the 10 locations (9 

states and the District of Columbia) based on several criteria, including a 

significant presence of homeless veterans in and a large allocation of 

HUD-VASH vouchers to the state, identified best practices or challenges 

in administering the HUD-VASH program, and geographic diversity. To 

obtain information on the presence of homeless veterans by state, we 

reviewed the jointly developed veteran supplements to HUD’s 2009 and 

2010 Annual Homeless Assessment Reports to Congress. We used 

information from HUD on annual HUD-VASH voucher allocations by PHA 

and partnering VAMC for fiscal years 2008 through 2010.

Appendix I: Objectives, Scope, and 

Methodology 
Appendix I: Objectives, Scope, and 

Methodology

Page 32 GAO-12-726 Veteran Homelessness

Figure 4: VA Medical Centers and Public Housing Agencies Contacted

To address our first objective, we reviewed eligibility requirements in the 

HUD-VASH statute to assess how VA and HUD are to determine that 

veterans who participate in HUD-VASH meet the statutory eligibility 

criteria. We also reviewed requirements specific to VA in the Veterans 

Health Administration’s HUD-VASH handbook and a HUD-VASH 

resource guide developed by the National Center for Homelessness 

among Veterans. To obtain specific information on how VA screened 

veterans to determine if they were eligible for the program, we 

interviewed VAMC management and staff in the selected 10 locations. 

The centers are responsible for screening and evaluating veterans for 

acceptance into HUD-VASH, referring veterans to partnering PHAs, and 

coordinating veterans’ case management under HUD-VASH. Similarly, to 

obtain more specific information on how PHAs (following HUD’s 

procedures) screened veterans referred by partnering VAMCs, we 
Appendix I: Objectives, Scope, and 

Methodology

Page 33 GAO-12-726 Veteran Homelessness

interviewed management and staff at PHAs that partner with the 10 

VAMCs to assess veterans and also manage various aspects of the 

housing process. In our interviews with VAMC and PHA staff, we asked 

about their general procedures for administering HUD-VASH, including 

how they made eligibility determinations based on VA’s requirements and 

HUD’s guidelines, respectively. We also discussed cooperation at the 

local level between partnering VAMCs and PHAs.

To address our second objective, we reviewed program manuals and 

guidance on data that VA and HUD collect on HUD-VASH, their data 

collection mechanisms, and reliability controls. We interviewed VA and 

HUD officials to determine what HUD-VASH information the agencies 

report and the systems they use for collecting and reporting the related 

data. We obtained and reviewed selected monthly Dashboard-based 

reports that VA provided to Congress during fiscal years 2011 and 2012 

to identify the data elements typically reported for HUD-VASH; we 

reviewed VA program data through March 2012. While VA provides 

monthly voucher utilization reports to Congress, HUD reports to Congress 

on HUD-VASH only upon request. To identify the steps that VA takes to 

help ensure the reliability of its data, we interviewed knowledgeable VA 

officials about the purpose, structure, and quality controls used to capture 

or report HUD-VASH program data using VA’s Dashboard and HOMES. 

We reviewed VA documentation, including the HOMES user manual, 

HUD-VASH data entry forms, and data validity checks. In interviews with 

VAMC staff at the 10 selected locations, we asked about data collection 

and reporting, and any related challenges. In addition, we observed a 

demonstration of VA’s reporting mechanism for HUD-VASH on-site. 

Finally, we compared VA’s data collection and reporting procedures to 

standards for internal control in the federal government. To identify the 

steps that HUD takes to help ensure the reliability of its data, we 

interviewed knowledgeable HUD officials about the purpose, structure, 

and relevant quality controls for HUD-VASH data, including information 

captured in HUD’s Voucher Management System (VMS) and Public and 

Indian Housing Information Center (PIC). We also interviewed PHA staff 

at the 10 selected locations about data collection and reporting, and any 

related challenges. We reviewed relevant documentation, including the 

information systems’ user guidance and HUD’s documented analysis of 

comparisons between VMS, PIC, and VA data.

To address our third objective, we reviewed performance-related 

information reported by VA such as monthly Dashboard-based reports on 

HUD-VASH voucher utilization and a more descriptive report submitted to 

Congress in October 2011. In addition, we interviewed representatives of, 
Appendix I: Objectives, Scope, and 

Methodology

Page 34 GAO-12-726 Veteran Homelessness

and gathered documentation from, HUD and VA headquarters; the U.S. 

Interagency Council on Homelessness (Interagency Council); and veteran 

and homeless advocacy organizations, including the National Coalition for 

Homeless Veterans, the National Coalition for the Homeless, the National 

Alliance to End Homelessness, and Vietnam Veterans of America. In 

interviews with VA and HUD officials, we asked about performance 

measures the agencies were monitoring for HUD-VASH. In interviews 

with representatives of advocacy organizations, we discussed their 

perspectives on HUD-VASH administration and the program’s 

performance. We also asked VAMC and PHA staff for their perspectives 

on HUD-VASH performance, potential ways to measure program 

success, and opportunities for improvement.

We conducted this performance audit from September 2011 through June 

2012 in accordance with generally accepted government auditing 

standards. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to 

obtain sufficient, appropriate evidence to provide a reasonable basis for 

our findings and conclusions based on our audit objectives. We believe 

that the evidence obtained provides a reasonable basis for our findings 

and conclusions based on our audit objectives.
Appendix II: Comments from the Department 

of Housing and Urban Development

Page 35 GAO-12-726 Veteran Homelessness

Appendix II: Comments from the Department 

of Housing and Urban Development 
Appendix II: Comments from the Department 

of Housing and Urban Development

Page 36 GAO-12-726 Veteran Homelessness
Appendix III: Comments from the Department 

of Veterans Affairs

Page 37 GAO-12-726 Veteran Homelessness

Appendix III: Comments from the 

Department of Veterans Affairs
Page 38 GAO-12-726 Veteran Homelessness
Appendix IV: Comments from the U.S. 

Interagency Council on Homelessness

Page 39 GAO-12-726 Veteran Homelessness

Appendix IV: Comments from the U.S. 

Interagency Council on Homelessness
Appendix V: GAO Contact and Staff 

Acknowledgments

Page 40 GAO-12-726 Veteran Homelessness

Alicia Puente Cackley, (202) 512-8678, cackleya@gao.gov

In addition to the contact named above, Marshall Hamlett (Assistant 

Director), Bernice Benta, F. Chase Cook, Pamela Davidson, Cynthia 

Grant, John McGrail, Marc Molino, and Barbara Roesmann made key 

contributions to this report.

Appendix V: GAO Contact and Staff 

Acknowledgments 

GAO Contact

Staff 

Acknowledgments 

(250630)
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