I

106TH CONGRESS

2D SESSION H. R. 5311

To amend title 38, United States Code, to improve programs for homeless

veterans, and for other purposes.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

SEPTEMBER 27, 2000

Mr. EVANS introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee

on Veterans’ Affairs

A BILL

To amend title 38, United States Code, to improve programs

for homeless veterans, and for other purposes.

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS.

4 (a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the

5 ‘‘Heather French Homeless Veterans Assistance Act of

6 2000’’.

7 (b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for

8 this Act is as follows:

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.

Sec. 2. Findings.

Sec. 3. National goal to end homelessness among veterans.

Sec. 4. Advisory Committee on Homeless Veterans.

Sec. 5. Annual meeting requirement for Interagency Council on Homeless.
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Sec. 6. Evaluation of homeless programs.

Sec. 7. Changes in veterans equitable resource allocation methodology.

Sec. 8. Grant program for homeless veterans with special needs.

Sec. 9. Coordination of services for veterans at risk of homelessness.

Sec. 10. Centers of Excellence in Integrated Mental Health Services Delivery.

Sec. 11. Dental care.

Sec. 12. Programmatic expansions.

Sec. 13. Various authorities.

Sec. 14. Life safety code.

Sec. 15. Temporary assistance grants.

Sec. 16. Emergency homeless grants.

Sec. 17. Assistance for grant applications.

Sec. 18. Home loan program for manufactured housing.

Sec. 19. Extension of Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program.

1 SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

2 Congress makes the following findings:

3 (1) On the field of battle, the members of the

4 Armed Forces who defend the Nation are honor5 bound to leave no one behind and, likewise, the Na6 tion is honor-bound to leave no veteran behind.

7 (2) The Department of Veterans Affairs report

8 known as the Community Homeless Assessment,

9 Local Education, and Networking Groups for Vet10 erans (CHALENG) assessment, issued in May

11 2000, reports that during 1999 there were an esti12 mated 344,983 homeless veterans, an increase of 34

13 percent above the 1988 estimate of 256,872 home14 less veterans.

15 (3) Male veterans are more likely to be home16 less than their nonveteran peers, with 23 percent of

17 the homeless male population being veterans, where18 as veterans constitute only 13 percent of the general

19 male population.
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1 (4) Homelessness among veterans is persistent

2 despite unprecedented economic growth and job cre3 ation and general prosperity.

4 (5) While there are many effective programs

5 that assist homeless veterans to again become pro6 ductive and self-sufficient members of society, cur7 rent resources provided to such programs and other

8 activities that assist homeless veterans are inad9 equate to provide all needed essential services, as10 sistance, and support to homeless veterans.

11 (6) If current programs to assist homeless vet12 erans are fully maintained but not expanded, vet13 erans will experience an estimated 1,200,000,000

14 nights of homelessness during the next decade.

15 (7) The CHALENG assessment referred to in

16 paragraph (2) reports—

17 (A) that Department of Veterans Affairs

18 and community partnerships were responsible

19 for establishing 4,943 total beds for homeless

20 veterans during 1999, including emergency,

21 transitional, and permanent beds; and

22 (B) that there is a need for more than

23 110,000 additional beds to meet current needs

24 of homeless veterans.
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1 (8) The Congressional Budget Office forecasts

2 a Federal budget surplus of $268,000,000,000 for

3 fiscal year 2001 and budget surpluses totaling more

4 than $4,500,000,000,000 over the next 10 years.

5 (9) At least $1,000,000,000 will be required to

6 establish the 110,000 additional new beds now need7 ed by homeless veterans, according to an informal

8 Department of Veterans Affairs cost estimate.

9 (10) Even if 5,000 additional beds were pro10 vided annually to serve the needs of homeless vet11 erans, more than two decades would be needed to

12 meet the current need for additional beds to serve

13 homeless veterans.

14 (11) Nearly four decades ago, the Nation estab15 lished a goal of sending a man to the moon and re16 turning him safely to earth within a decade and ac17 complished that goal, and the Nation can do no less

18 to end homelessness among the Nation’s veterans.

19 SEC. 3. NATIONAL GOAL TO END HOMELESSNESS AMONG

20 VETERANS.

21 (a) NATIONAL GOAL.—Congress hereby declares it to

22 be a national goal to end homelessness among veterans

23 within a decade.

24 (b) COOPERATIVE EFFORTS ENCOURAGED.—Con25 gress hereby encourages all departments and agencies of
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1 Federal, State, and local government, quasi-governmental

2 organizations, private and public sector entities, including

3 community-based organizations, and individuals to work

4 cooperatively to end homelessness among veterans within

5 a decade.

6 SEC. 4. ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON HOMELESS VETERANS.

7 (a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 5 of title 38, United

8 States Code, is amended by adding at the end the fol9 lowing new section:

10 ‘‘§ 546. Advisory Committee on Homeless Veterans

11 ‘‘(a)(1) There is in the Department the Advisory

12 Committee on Homeless Veterans (hereinafter in this sec13 tion referred to as the ‘Committee’).

14 ‘‘(2) The Committee shall consist of not more than

15 12 members appointed by the Secretary from—

16 ‘‘(A) veterans service organizations;

17 ‘‘(B) advocates of homeless veterans and

18 other homeless individuals;

19 ‘‘(C) community-based providers of services

20 to homeless individuals;

21 ‘‘(D) previously homeless veterans; and

22 ‘‘(E) such other organizations or groups as

23 the Secretary considers appropriate.

24 ‘‘(3) The Secretary shall determine the terms of serv25 ice and pay and allowances of the members of the Com-
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1 mittee, except that a term of service may not exceed three

2 years. The Secretary may reappoint any member for addi3 tional terms of service.

4 ‘‘(b)(1) The Secretary shall, on a regular basis, con5 sult with and seek the advice of the Committee with re6 spect to the provision by the Department of benefits and

7 services to homeless veterans.

8 ‘‘(2)(A) In providing advice to the Secretary under

9 this subsection, the Committee shall—

10 ‘‘(i) assemble and review information relating to

11 the needs of homeless veterans;

12 ‘‘(ii) provide an on-going assessment of the ef13 fectiveness of the policies, organizational structures,

14 and services of the Department in assisting homeless

15 veterans; and

16 ‘‘(iii) provide on-going advice on the most ap17 propriate means of providing assistance to homeless

18 veterans.

19 ‘‘(3) The Committee shall—

20 ‘‘(A) review the continuum of services provided

21 by the Department directly or by contract in order

22 to define cross-cutting issues and to improve coordi23 nation of all services with the Department that are

24 involved in addressing the special needs of homeless

25 veterans;
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1 ‘‘(B) identify (through the annual assessments

2 under section 1774 of title 38, United States Code,

3 and other available resources) gaps in programs of

4 the Department in serving homeless veterans, in5 cluding identification of geographic areas with

6 unmet needs, and provide recommendations to ad7 dress those program gaps;

8 ‘‘(C) identify barriers under existing laws and

9 policies to effective coordination by the Department

10 with other Federal agencies and with State and local

11 agencies addressing homeless populations;

12 ‘‘(D) identify opportunities for increased liaison

13 by the Department with nongovernmental organiza14 tions and individual groups addressing homeless

15 populations;

16 ‘‘(E) participate with appropriate officials of

17 the Department designated by the Secretary in with

18 the Interagency Council on the Homeless under sec19 tion 202 of the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless As20 sistance Act (42 U.S.C. 11311); and

21 ‘‘(F) perform such other functions as the Sec22 retary may direct.

23 ‘‘(4) In carrying out its duties under paragraph (2),

24 the Committee shall take into special account the needs
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1 of veterans who have served in a theater of combat oper2 ations.

3 ‘‘(c)(1) Not later than March 31 of each year, the

4 Committee shall submit to the Secretary a report on the

5 programs and activities of the Department that relate to

6 homeless veterans. Each such report shall include—

7 ‘‘(A) an assessment of the needs of homeless

8 veterans;

9 ‘‘(B) a review of the programs and activities of

10 the Department designed to meet such needs;

11 ‘‘(C) a review of the activities of Committee;

12 and

13 ‘‘(D) such recommendations (including rec14 ommendations for administrative and legislative ac15 tion) as the Committee considers appropriate.

16 ‘‘(2) Not later than 90 days after the receipt of a

17 report under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall transmit

18 to the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate and

19 House of Representatives a copy of the report, together

20 with any comments and recommendations concerning the

21 report that the Secretary considers appropriate.

22 ‘‘(3) The Committee may also submit to the Sec23 retary such other reports and recommendations as the

24 Committee considers appropriate.
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1 ‘‘(4) The Secretary shall submit with each annual re2 port submitted to the Congress pursuant to section 529

3 of this title a summary of all reports and recommendations

4 of the Committee submitted to the Secretary since the pre5 vious annual report of the Secretary submitted pursuant

6 to that section.

7 ‘‘(d)(1) Except as provided in paragraph (2), the pro8 visions of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C.

9 App.) shall apply to the activities of the Committee under

10 this section.

11 ‘‘(2) Section 14 of such Act shall not apply to the

12 Committee.’’.

13 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections

14 at the beginning of such chapter is amended by adding

15 at the end the following new item:

‘‘546. Advisory Committee on Homeless Veterans.’’.

16 SEC. 5. ANNUAL MEETING REQUIREMENT FOR INTER17 AGENCY COUNCIL ON HOMELESS.

18 Section 202(c) of the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless

19 Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 11311(c)) is amended by strik20 ing the second sentence and inserting the following: ‘‘The

21 Council shall meet not less often than annually.’’.

22 SEC. 6. EVALUATION OF HOMELESS PROGRAMS.

23 (a) EVALUATION CENTERS.—The Secretary of Vet24 erans Affairs shall support the continuation within the De25 partment of Veterans Affairs of at least one center for
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1 evaluation to monitor the structure, process, and outcome

2 of programs of the Department of Veterans Affairs that

3 address homeless veterans.

4 (b) ANNUAL REPORT ON HEALTH CARE.—The Sec5 retary shall submit to Congress an annual report on pro6 grams of the Department of Veterans Affairs addressing

7 health care needs of homeless veterans. The Secretary

8 shall include in each such report the following:

9 (1) Information about expenditures, costs, and

10 workload under the Department of Veterans Affairs

11 program known as the Health Care for Homeless

12 Veterans program (HCHV).

13 (2) Information about the veterans contacted

14 through that program.

15 (3) Information about processes under that pro16 gram.

17 (4) Information about program treatment out18 comes under that program.

19 (5) Information about supported housing pro20 grams.

21 (6) Information about the Department’s grant

22 and per diem provider program.

23 (7) Other information the Secretary considers

24 relevant in assessing the program.
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1 (c) ANNUAL PROGRAM ASSESSMENT.—Section

2 1774(b) of title 38, United States Code, is amended—

3 (1) by inserting ‘‘annual’’ in paragraph (1)

4 after ‘‘to make an’’; and

5 (2) by adding at the end the following new

6 paragraph:

7 ‘‘(6) The Secretary shall review each annual assess8 ment under this subsection and shall consolidate the find9 ings and conclusions of those assessments into an annual

10 report to be submitted to Congress.’’.

11 SEC. 7. CHANGES IN VETERANS EQUITABLE RESOURCE AL12 LOCATION METHODOLOGY.

13 (a) ALLOCATION CATEGORIES.—The Secretary of

14 Veterans Affairs shall designate the following care as

15 being within the resource allocation category designated

16 as ‘‘complex care’’ within the Veterans Equitable Resource

17 Allocation system:

18 (1) Care provided to veterans enrolled in the

19 Department of Veterans Affairs program for Mental

20 Health Intensive Community Case Management.

21 (2) Care provided to veterans in residential

22 treatment settings or domiciliaries that are provided

23 or sponsored by the Secretary under section 1710 of

24 title 38, United States Code.
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1 (3) Care provided to veterans in therapeutic

2 residences under section 1772 of such title.

3 (4) Care provided to veterans in community res4 idential care that is coordinated by the Secretary

5 under section 1730 of such title.

6 (5) Care provided to veterans for whom the

7 Secretary provides funds for so-called ‘‘grant and

8 per diem providers’’ under sections 3 and 4 of the

9 Homeless Veterans Comprehensive Service Programs

10 Act of 1992 (38 U.S.C. 7721 note).

11 (6) Care provided to veterans who have been di12 agnosed both with serious chronic mental illness and

13 substance abuse disorders.

14 (b) TREATMENT OF FUNDS FOR NEW PROGRAMS

15 FOR HOMELESS VETERANS.—The Secretary shall ensure

16 that funds for any new program for homeless veterans car17 ried out through a Department health care facility are des18 ignated for the first three years of operation of that pro19 gram as a special purpose program for which funds are

20 not allocated through the Veterans Equitable Resource Al21 location system.

22 SEC. 8. GRANT PROGRAM FOR HOMELESS VETERANS WITH

23 SPECIAL NEEDS.

24 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary of Veterans

25 Affairs shall carry out a program of grants to health care
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1 facilities of the Department of Veterans Affairs to encour2 age development by those facilities of programs targeted

3 at meeting special needs within the population of homeless

4 veterans.

5 (b) SPECIAL NEEDS.—For purposes of this section,

6 homeless veterans with special needs include homeless vet7 erans who are—

8 (1) 50 years of age or older;

9 (2) substance abusers;

10 (3) persons with post-traumatic stress disorder;

11 (4) terminally ill;

12 (5) chronically mentally ill; or

13 (6) women.

14 (c) STUDY OF OUTCOME EFFECTIVENESS.—The Sec15 retary shall conduct a study of the effectiveness of the

16 grant program in meeting the needs of homeless veterans.

17 As part of the study, the Secretary shall compare the re18 sults of programs carried out in the grant program under

19 this section in terms of veterans’ satisfaction, health sta20 tus, reduction in addiction severity, housing, and encour21 agement of productive activity with results for similar vet22 erans in programs of the Department designed to meet

23 the general needs of homeless veterans.

24 (d) FUNDING.—From amounts appropriated to the

25 Department of Veterans Affairs for medical care for each
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1 of fiscal year 2001, 2002, and 2003, the amount of

2 $5,000,000 shall be available for the purposes of the pro3 gram under this section. Grants under this section to a

4 health care facility of the Department shall be treated in

5 the manner provided in section 7(b).

6 SEC. 9. COORDINATION OF SERVICES FOR VETERANS AT

7 RISK OF HOMELESSNESS.

8 (a) JOINT OUTREACH PROGRAM.—The Secretary of

9 Veterans Affairs, acting through the Under Secretary for

10 Health, shall provide for appropriate officials of the Men11 tal Health Service and the Readjustment Counseling Serv12 ice of the Veterans Health Administration to initiate a co13 ordinated strategy for joint outreach to veterans at risk

14 of homelessness, including particularly veterans who are

15 being discharged from institutions (including discharges

16 from inpatient psychiatric care, substance abuse treatment

17 programs, and penal institutions).

18 (b) MATTERS TO BE INCLUDED.—The outreach

19 under this section shall include the following:

20 (1) Mentoring programs and support networks.

21 (2) Family support.

22 (3) Referrals within the Department of Vet23 erans Affairs and within the community.

24 (4) Case management.
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1 SEC. 10. CENTERS OF EXCELLENCE IN INTEGRATED MEN2 TAL HEALTH SERVICES DELIVERY.

3 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary of Veterans

4 Affairs shall establish three Centers of Excellence in Inte5 grated Mental Health Services Delivery to be located at

6 appropriate Department of Veterans Affairs medical cen7 ters. In designating the medical centers at which the cen8 ters shall be located, the Secretary shall consider applica9 tions that propose delivery models that integrate mental

10 health, substance abuse, and medical components of treat11 ment.

12 (b) STARTUP.—The Secretary may use up to

13 $1,000,000 from funds available to the Secretary for med14 ical care for startup costs for each of the following three

15 models for the centers:

16 (1) Mental Health Primary Care Teams.

17 (2) Patient assignment to a mental health pri18 mary care team that is linked with the patient’s

19 medical primary care team.

20 (3) Traditional patient assignment to a medical

21 primary care team.

22 (c) STUDY OF EFFECTIVENESS.—The Secretary shall

23 compare treatment outcomes at the different centers for

24 chronically mentally ill veterans provided treatment

25 through integrated mental health programs with treat26 ment outcomes for similar chronically mentally ill veterans
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1 provided treatment through traditionally consultative rela2 tionships.

3 (d) REPORT AND DISSEMINATION OF RESULTS.—

4 Upon completion of the comparison under subsection (c),

5 the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report setting

6 forth the results of that comparison and such rec7 ommendations as the Secretary may have. Based upon the

8 Secretary’s conclusions, the Secretary shall disseminate

9 the best practices for treatment of mentally ill persons in

10 such manner as the Secretary determines appropriate on

11 a nationwide basis.

12 SEC. 11. DENTAL CARE.

13 (a) IN GENERAL.—For purposes of section

14 1712(a)(1)(H) of title 38, United States Code, a out15 patient dental services and treatment of a dental condition

16 or disability of a veteran described in subsection (b) shall

17 be considered to be a medically necessary if—

18 (1) the dental services and treatment are nec19 essary for the veteran to successfully gain or regain

20 employment;

21 (2) the dental services and treatment are nec22 essary to alleviate pain; or

23 (3) the dental services and treatment are nec24 essary for treatment of moderate, severe, or severe

25 and complicated gingival and periodontal pathology.
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1 (b) ELIGIBLE VETERANS.—Subsection (a) applies to

2 a veteran who is—

3 (1) enrolled for care under paragraph (5) of

4 section 1705(a) of title 38, United States Code; and

5 (2) who is receiving care (directly or by con6 tract) in any of the following settings:

7 (A) A domiciliary under section 1710 of

8 such title.

9 (B) A therapeutic residence under section

10 1772 of such title.

11 (C) Community residential care coordi12 nated by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs

13 under section 1730 of such title.

14 (D) A setting for which the Secretary pro15 vides funds for a so-called ‘‘grant and per diem

16 provider’’ under sections 3 and 4 of the Home17 less Veterans Comprehensive Service Programs

18 Act of 1992 (38 U.S.C. 7721 note).

19 SEC. 12. PROGRAMMATIC EXPANSIONS.

20 (a) TRANSITIONAL HOUSING.—The Secretary of Vet21 erans Affairs shall carry out the transitional housing grant

22 program under section 3 of the Homeless Veterans Com23 prehensive Service Programs Act of 1992 (38 U.S.C. 7721

24 note) so as to ensure that there is at least one active tran25 sitional housing program being supported by such grant
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1 program in each State (as such term is defined in section

2 101 of title 38, United States Code).

3 (b) COMPREHENSIVE HOMELESS SERVICES PRO4 GRAM.—(1) The Secretary shall provide for the establish5 ment of centers for the provision of comprehensive services

6 to homeless veterans under section 2(b) of the Homeless

7 Veterans Comprehensive Service Programs Act of 1992

8 (38 U.S.C. 7721 note) in at least each of the 20 largest

9 metropolitan statistical areas.

10 (2) Section 2(b) of the Homeless Veterans Com11 prehensive Service Programs Act of 1992 (38 U.S.C. 7721

12 note) is amended by striking ‘‘no more than eight dem13 onstration’’.

14 (c) OPIOID SUBSTITUTION THERAPY.—The Sec15 retary shall ensure that opioid substitution therapy is

16 available at each Department of Veterans Affairs medical

17 center.

18 (d) PROGRAM EXPIRATION EXTENSION.—Sections

19 1771(b) and 1773(d) of title 38, United States Code, are

20 amended by striking ‘‘December 31, 2001’’ and inserting

21 ‘‘December 31, 2006’’.

22 SEC. 13. VARIOUS AUTHORITIES.

23 (a) EMPLOYMENT PROGRAMS.—The Secretary of

24 Veterans Affairs may authorize homeless veterans receiv-
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1 ing care through vocational rehabilitation programs to

2 participate in the compensated work therapy program.

3 (b) THERAPEUTIC RESIDENCES.—The Secretary

4 may authorize homeless veterans in the compensated work

5 therapy program to be provided housing through the

6 therapeutic residence program under section 1772 of title

7 38, United States Code.

8 (c) STAFFING REQUIREMENT.—The Secretary shall

9 ensure that there is assigned at each Veterans Benefits

10 Administration regional office at least one employee as11 signed specifically to oversee and coordinate homeless vet12 erans programs in that region, including the housing pro13 gram for veterans supported by the Department of Hous14 ing and Urban Development, housing programs supported

15 by the Department of Veterans Affairs, the homeless vet16 erans reintegration program of the Department of Labor,

17 the assessments required by section 1774 of title 38,

18 United States Code, the Comprehensive Homeless Pro19 gram, and such other duties relating to homeless veterans

20 as may be assigned. In any such regional office with not

21 fewer than 140 employees, the shall be at least one full22 time employee assigned to such functions.

23 SEC. 14. LIFE SAFETY CODE.

24 Section 3(b)(5) of the Homeless Veterans Com25 prehensive Service Programs Act of 1992 (38 U.S.C. 7721
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1 note) is amended by striking ‘‘, but’’ and all that follows

2 through ‘‘in carrying out the grant’’ and inserting ‘‘and

3 the fire and safety standards that the Secretary of Vet4 erans Affairs uses for comparable Department facilities

5 and for comparable facilities with which the Secretary en6 ters into contracts’’.

7 SEC. 15. TEMPORARY ASSISTANCE GRANTS.

8 (a) ESTABLISHMENT OF PROGRAM.—The Secretary

9 of Veterans Affairs shall carry out a program of tem10 porary assistance grants to eligible homeless veterans in

11 accordance with this section.

12 (b) ELIGIBLE VETERANS.—A veteran is eligible for

13 a temporary assistance grant under this section if the

14 veteran—

15 (1) is a veteran of a period of war or, if not a

16 veteran of a period of war, meets the minimum serv17 ice requirements specified in section 5303A of title

18 38, United States Code;

19 (2) is being released, or within the preceding 60

20 days was released, from an institution, including a

21 homeless shelter or grant per diem program under

22 sections 3 and 4 of the Homeless Veterans Com23 prehensive Service Programs Act of 1992 (38 U.S.C.

24 7721 note) ;
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1 (3) is a homeless veteran immediately before

2 the commencement of assistance under this section;

3 and

4 (4) had less than marginal income for the pre5 ceding three months.

6 (c) DURATION OF GRANT ASSISTANCE.—An eligible

7 veteran may be provided a temporary assistance grant

8 under this section for no more than six months during

9 any two-year period.

10 (d) AMOUNT OF GRANT.—(1) The monthly amount

11 of a grant provided under this section to an eligible vet12 eran shall be the sum of the following:

13 (A) The amount of monthly pension that would

14 be payable to that veteran under chapter 15 of title

15 38, United States Code, if the veteran had a perma16 nent and total nonservice-connected disability.

17 (B) An amount not to exceed the lesser of the

18 actual amount incurred by the veteran for child care

19 expenses or 25 percent of the amount under sub20 paragraph (A), if the veteran incurs child care ex21 penses during the month with respect to a child

22 under age 12 or a disabled child of any age in order

23 for the veteran to obtain health care, employment,

24 education, or training.
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1 (C) An amount not to exceed 30 percent of the

2 amount under subparagraph (A) to the extent that

3 the housing costs (including heating, cooling, and

4 utility costs) of the veteran for that month exceed

5 30 percent of the veteran’s income for that month

6 (including the amount under subparagraph (A)).

7 (2) In the case of a veteran who is employed during

8 any month, the first $100 of gross income and one half

9 of the remainder of the veteran’s income for that month

10 shall be excluded in determining the income of the veteran

11 for purposes of eligibility for a grant under this section

12 and the amount of such a grant.

13 (e) COORDINATION WITH OTHER BENEFITS.—If ret14 roactive benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs

15 are payable to a veteran with respect to a month for which

16 the veteran received a temporary assistance grant under

17 this section, the amount of such retroactive benefit pay18 able for such month shall be reduced (but not below zero)

19 by the amount of the temporary assistance grant paid for

20 that month. No reduction may be made by the Secretary

21 of Veterans Affairs from an amount otherwise due a vet22 eran for any month to offset an amount paid under this

23 section for a previous month.

24 (f) DEFINITIONS.—For purposes of this section:
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1 (1) The term ‘‘veteran’’ means a person who

2 served in the active military, naval, or air service (as

3 defined in section 101 of title 38, United States

4 Code) and who was discharged or released from any

5 such period of service under conditions other than

6 dishonorable.

7 (2) The term ‘‘marginal income’’, with respect

8 to a veteran, means income below the poverty stand9 ard (as determined by the Bureau of the Census) for

10 a family of the size of the veteran’s family.

11 SEC. 16. EMERGENCY HOMELESS GRANTS.

12 (a) ESTABLISHMENT OF PROGRAM.—The Secretary

13 of Veterans Affairs shall carry out a program to provide

14 emergency housing grants to eligible veterans in accord15 ance with this section. Under the program the Secretary

16 may make a grant to assist with the emergency housing

17 expenses of an eligible veteran who has a housing emer18 gency.

19 (b) HOUSING EMERGENCY.—For the purposes of this

20 section, the term ‘‘housing emergency’’, with respect to

21 any month, means the inability to pay any of the following

22 expenses in order to secure or maintain safe and afford23 able housing:
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1 (1) The preceding month’s rent, the so-called

2 ‘‘last month’s rent’’, and any required security de3 posit, utility deposit, or cleaning deposit.

4 (2) Rental arrearages.

5 (3) Mortgage arrearages.

6 (4) Utility arrearages.

7 (c) ELIGIBLE VETERANS.—A veteran is eligible for

8 an emergency homeless grant under this section if the

9 veteran—

10 (1) is a veteran of a period of war or, if not a

11 veteran of a period of war, meets the minimum serv12 ice requirements specified in section 5303A of title

13 38, United States Code;

14 (2) as determined by the Secretary, has a hous15 ing emergency or is at risk of homelessness due to

16 a housing emergency; and

17 (3) had less than marginal income for the pre18 ceding three months or has incurred a loss of income

19 which will reduce the veteran’s income below mar20 ginal income for the current month.

21 (d) AMOUNT OF GRANT.—The amount of an emer22 gency housing grant under this section for a month is the

23 lesser of the veteran’s actual housing expenses for that

24 month plus arrearages or the amount equal to four times

25 the amount of pension that would be payable to the vet-
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1 eran for that month under chapter 15 of title 38, United

2 States Code, if the veteran had a permanent and total

3 nonservice-connected disability, assuming the veteran has

4 no dependents.

5 (e) DURATION OF GRANT.—An emergency housing

6 grant may be made to a veteran under this section once

7 during any 24-month period.

8 (f) DEFINITIONS.—For purposes of this section:

9 (1) The term ‘‘veteran’’ means a person who

10 served in the active military, naval, or air service (as

11 defined in section 101 of title 38, United States

12 Code) and who was discharged or released from any

13 such period of service under conditions other than

14 dishonorable.

15 (2) The term ‘‘marginal income’’, with respect

16 to a veteran, means income below the poverty stand17 ard (as determined by the Bureau of the Census) for

18 a family of the size of the veteran’s family.

19 SEC. 17. ASSISTANCE FOR GRANT APPLICATIONS.

20 (a) GRANT PROGRAM.—The Secretary of Veterans

21 Affairs shall carry out a program to make technical assist22 ance grants to nonprofit community-based groups with ex23 perience in providing assistance to homeless veterans in

24 order to assist such groups in applying for grants relating

25 to addressing problems of homeless veterans.
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1 (b) FUNDING.—There is authorized to be appro2 priated to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs the amount

3 of $750,000 for each of fiscal years 2001 through 2005

4 to carry out the program under this section.

5 SEC. 18. HOME LOAN PROGRAM FOR MANUFACTURED

6 HOUSING.

7 In the case of a housing loan under section 3712 of

8 title 38, United States Code, for a veteran who, as deter9 mined by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, is homeless,

10 the Secretary may waive any otherwise applicable require11 ment under that section that a purchase of a manufac12 tured home include purchase of a lot.

13 SEC. 19. EXTENSION OF HOMELESS VETERANS REINTEGRA14 TION PROGRAM.

15 Section 4111(d)(1) of title 38, United States Code,

16 is amended by striking subparagraphs (C) and (D) and

17 inserting the following:

18 ‘‘(C) $50,000,000 for fiscal year 2002.

19 ‘‘(D) $50,000,000 for fiscal year 2003.

20 ‘‘(E) $50,000,000 for fiscal year 2004.

21 ‘‘(F) $50,000,000 for fiscal year 2005.

22 ‘‘(G) $50,000,000 for fiscal year 2006.’’.

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