89–006 

111TH CONGRESS REPORT " ! HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 2d Session 111–449 

END VETERAN HOMELESSNESS ACT OF 2010 

MARCH 22, 2010.—Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State 

of the Union and ordered to be printed 

Mr. FILNER, from the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, 

submitted the following 

R E P O R T 

[To accompany H.R. 4810] 

[Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office] 

The Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, to whom was referred the 

bill (H.R. 4810) to amend title 38, United States Code, to make certain improvements in the services provided for homeless veterans 

under the laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, 

having considered the same, report favorably thereon without 

amendment and recommend that the bill do pass. 

CONTENTS 

Page 

Purpose and Summary ............................................................................................ 2 

Background and Need for Legislation .................................................................... 2 

Hearings ................................................................................................................... 4 

Subcommittee Consideration .................................................................................. 5 

Committee Consideration ........................................................................................ 5 

Committee Votes ...................................................................................................... 6 

Committee Oversight Findings ............................................................................... 6 

Statement of General Performance Goals and Objectives .................................... 6 

New Budget Authority, Entitlement Authority, and Tax Expenditures ............. 6 

Earmarks and Tax and Tariff Benefits .................................................................. 6 

Committee Cost Estimate ....................................................................................... 6 

Congressional Budget Office Estimate ................................................................... 6 

Federal Mandates Statement ................................................................................. 8 

Advisory Committee Statement .............................................................................. 9 

Constitutional Authority Statement ...................................................................... 9 

Applicability to Legislative Branch ........................................................................ 9 

Section-by-Section Analysis of the Legislation ...................................................... 9 

Changes in Existing Law Made by the Bill as Reported ...................................... 10 


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PURPOSE AND SUMMARY

H.R. 4810 was introduced by Representative Bob Filner of California, Chairman of the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, on March 

10, 2010. H.R. 4810 would seek to help homeless veterans by making key improvements and expansions to existing programs at the 

Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). These improvements include 

increasing the amount authorized to be appropriated for the Grant 

and Per Diem (GPD) program; placing an increased emphasis on 

homeless women veterans and homeless veterans with children for 

the homeless media campaign; extending and increasing funding 

for a supportive services program to help certain veterans in permanent housing; and making key operational improvements to the 

GPD program and VA’s institutional ability to provide assistance 

to veterans receiving services under the Department of Housing 

and Urban Development–Department of Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (HUD–VASH) program. 

BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION

According to the VA, about one-third of the adult homeless population has served their country in the Armed Forces. Current population estimates suggest that over 130,000 veterans are homeless 

on any given night and twice as many experience homelessness at 

some point during the course of a year. Homelessness is also a 

growing problem for our veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, especially as they face higher rates of unemployment, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injury (TBI). 

These staggering statistics are the basis for H.R. 4810 which aims 

to help end homelessness among the nation’s veterans. 

Section 2 of H.R. 4810 would increase the annual authorization 

of appropriations for the VA Grant and Per Diem (GPD) program 

for homeless veterans from $150 million to $200 million. This will 

help provide additional transitional housing beds for homeless veterans, help fund special needs grants for homeless women veterans 

and single parents with dependent children, and provide for additional drop-in service centers in areas with a large homeless veteran population. 

The GPD program consists of a Grant Component and the Per 

Diem Component. The Grant Component funds the construction, 

renovation, or acquisition of a building for transitional housing or 

service centers which offer such services as case management, 

counseling, and crisis intervention. The Per Diem Component funds 

the operational costs, including salaries of personnel. The VA reports that the length of stay in the GPD program for homeless veterans averages three to five months. In addition, VA program data 

show that over half of the veterans who participated in the GPD 

program obtained independent housing and another quarter were 

in transitional housing programs, halfway houses, hospitals, nursing homes, or similar forms of secured housing. 

The funding increase provided by section 2 of H.R. 4810 would 

help to address the issue highlighted by the September 27, 2007, 

Government Accountability Office (GAO) report Homeless Veterans 

Program: Bed Capacity, Service and Communication Gaps Challenge the Grant and Per Diem Program (GAO–07–1265T). GAO 

found that in 2006, the VA estimated that they needed 51,700 tranVerDate Nov 24 2008 05:54 Mar 23, 2010 Jkt 089006 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6659 Sfmt 6602 E:\HR\OC\HR449.XXX HR449

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sitional beds; however, only 40,600 beds were available through the 

GPD and other Federal, State, and community programs. This left 

the VA with an estimated shortfall of 11,100 additional beds, which 

were needed to meet the excess demand. The increase in funding 

for the GPD program helps to mitigate some of the excess demand 

for transitional beds. 

Section 3 of H.R. 4810 would make certain programmatic improvements to the GPD program. First, it would change the rate 

of payment from a daily cost of care to an annual cost of furnishing 

services. With this authority, the VA would be allowed to make 

payments to per diem grant recipients on a quarterly basis, and 

would create a quarterly reconciliation process where adjustments 

are made to increase or decrease payments. This authority would 

allow grantees to draw down funds in anticipation of allowable and 

contractual expenses, as well as address the cash shortfall problem 

faced by grantees where the organization must incur debt and then 

apply for reimbursements from the VA. 

This section would allow the VA to annually adjust the rate of 

payment to reflect anticipated changes in the cost of providing 

services, as well as geographic differences. Because the per diem 

rate may be less than the actual daily cost of care for homeless veterans, some organizations in high cost service areas opt not to 

apply for GPD funding. Allowing the VA to increase the payment 

rate to account for the changes in service costs and geographic differences makes GPD more attractive for potential grantees. 

Finally, section 3 of H.R. 4810 would allow providers to use the 

per diem grant funds to match other federal funding sources. Providers are unable to use these funds to match other federal funding 

sources. The current system penalizes GPD providers that are successful in securing other sources of income for services to homeless 

veterans by reducing their per diem payment rate. Consequently, 

providers are discouraged from developing partnerships with other 

Federal, State, local and non-profit agencies and other private 

funding sources. The proposed fix would encourage leveraging of 

VA funds to secure additional financial resources from other entities. 

Section 4 of H.R. 4810 would require the VA to provide for housing specialists, including peer specialists who were formerly homeless veterans, for the HUD–VASH program. These specialists 

would conduct landlord outreach activities, including encouraging 

and facilitating the landlord’s participation in the HUD–VASH program, mediating disputes between the veterans and the landlords; 

and establishing and maintaining a list of available rental units. 

As of August of 2009, VA data showed that they had only awarded 

about 5,500 HUD–VASH vouchers out of 20,000 available vouchers. 

This provision would provide the VA with an important tool for 

awarding the remaining housing vouchers. 

Section 4 of H.R. 4810 would require the VA to work with HUD 

to access HUD’s Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing 

Program, which received $1.5 billion through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. This would help homeless veterans access the rapid re-housing funds for assistance with basic 

essentials, security deposits for rental units, and for payments of 

the first month’s rent. This provision would help address the problem identified by a December 2007 GAO report Rental Housing InVerDate Nov 24 2008 05:54 Mar 23, 2010 Jkt 089006 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6659 Sfmt 6602 E:\HR\OC\HR449.XXX HR449

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formation on Low-Income Veterans’ Housing Conditions and Participation in HUD’s Programs (GAO–08–324T) which found that 

low-income veteran households were less likely to receive assistance from HUD than other non-veteran low-income households. 

Section 5 of H.R. 4810 would extend and increase funding for a 

supportive services program for very low-income veteran families in 

permanent housing. Section 604 of Public Law 110–387 (122 Stat. 

4110) created the supportive services program to help veterans 

gain access to appropriate services so that they are less likely to 

experience housing instability and are more likely to maintain 

their self-sufficiency. Examples of supportive services include help 

with personal financial planning, income support services, and 

legal services to help veterans with issues that interfere with their 

ability to obtain or retain housing. The VA is in the process of implementing section 604 and informs the Committee that the regulations define supportive services to also include rental arrears assistance. Section 5 of the bill would ensure that this program does 

not expire at the end of fiscal year 2011 and provides for sufficient 

resources a significant, phased-in funding increase to $100 million 

per year. 

Finally, section 6 of the bill would direct the VA to focus its 

media outreach efforts on homeless women veterans and homeless 

veterans with children. This provision aims to address the problem 

of the over-representation of homeless women veterans. Research 

shows that women veterans are four times as likely to be homeless 

than their civilian counterparts. Currently, there are about 7,000 

homeless women but this number is expected to increase as more 

women return from Iraq and Afghanistan. By focusing the outreach 

efforts on homeless women veterans, it will help to inform and 

refer this vulnerable population to the appropriate and necessary 

programs and services. 

HEARINGS

On June 3, 2009, the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs held 

an oversight hearing entitled ‘‘A National Commitment to End Veterans’ Homelessness.’’ The following witnesses testified: Mr. John 

Driscoll, Vice President for Operations and Programs, National Coalition for Homeless Veterans; Mr. Dwight A. Radcliffe, Sr., Director, US VETS; Ms. Marcia Four, Director, Mary E. Walker House; 

Chief Warrant Officer James S. Fann, USA (Ret.), Director, Manna 

House, Johnson City, Tennessee; Phil Landis, Chief Executive Officer, Veterans Village; Carol Adams, Ph.D., Secretary, Illinois Department of Human Services; Mr. Robert V. Hess, Commissioner, 

New York City Department of Homeless Services; Carol L. Caton, 

Ph.D., Director, Center for Homeless Prevention Studies, Columbia 

University; Dr. Brendan O’Flaherty, Ph.D., Professor of Economics, 

Columbia University; Mr. George Basher, Chair, Advisory Committee on Homeless Veterans, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; 

and, Mr. Peter Dougherty, Director, Homeless Veterans Programs, 

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs accompanied by Mr. Paul E. 

Smits, Associate Chief Consultant, Homeless and Residential Rehabilitation and Treatment Programs, Veterans Health Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; and, Mr. John M. 

McWilliam, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Veterans’ Employment 

and Training Service, U.S. Department of Labor. Those submitting 


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statements for the record included: The Honorable Stephanie 

Herseth Sandlin of South Dakota; The Honorable Harry E. Mitchell 

of Arizona; The Honorable Steve Buyer of Indiana; Mr. Mark Johnston, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Special Needs, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development; Ms. Mary Cunningham, 

Senior Research Association, Urban Institute; and, Mr. Cecil Byrd, 

Executive Director, National Association of Concerned Veterans. 

On October 1, 2009, the Subcommittee on Health held a legislative hearing on several bills, including H.R. 2504, H.R. 2559, H.R. 

2735, and Draft Discussions on Homelessness, Graduate Psychology Education, and Psychiatric Service Dogs. The following witnesses testified: The Honorable Bob Filner of California; The Honorable Stephanie Herseth Sandlin of South Dakota; The Honorable 

Phil Hare of Illinois; The Honorable Ciro Rodriguez of Texas; The 

Honorable Glenn Nye of Virginia; The Honorable Michael Arcuri of 

New York; The Honorable Harry Teague of New Mexico; Mr. Joseph L. Wilson, Deputy Director, Veterans Affairs and Rehabilitation Commission, The American Legion; Mr. Justin Brown, Legislative Associate, National Legislative Service, Veterans of Foreign 

Wars; Mr. Richard F. Weidman, Executive Director for Policy and 

Government Affairs, Vietnam Veterans of America; Mr. Blake 

Ortner, Senior Associate Legislative Director, Paralyzed Veterans 

of America; Mr. Peter C. Dougherty, Director, Homeless Veterans 

Programs, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs who was accompanied by Mr. Paul E. Smits, Associate Chief Consultant, Homeless 

Residential Rehabilitation and Treatment Programs, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; and Ms. Jane Clare Joyner, Deputy Assistant General Counsel, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. 

Those submitting for the record included: Mr. Rick A. McMichael, 

President, American Chiropractic Association; the American Physical Therapy Association; and, the American Tinnitus Association. 

SUBCOMMITTEE CONSIDERATION

On October 22, 2009, the Subcommittee on Health met in open 

markup session and ordered favorably forwarded to the full Committee a committee print encompassing H.R. 2504, H.R. 2559, H.R. 

2735, H.R. 3885, and Draft Legislation on Supportive Services for 

Certain Veteran Families in Permanent Housing. During consideration of the bills the following amendments were considered: 

An amendment to H.R. 2559 by Mr. Michaud of Maine to 

emphasize a homeless media campaign on homeless women 

veterans and homeless veterans with children was agreed to by 

voice vote. 

An amendment in the nature of a substitute to H.R. 2735 by 

Mr. Rodriguez of Texas to eliminate the transfer from the 

Grant Component of the GPD Program to fund the salaries of 

Service Center personnel, and to create a quarterly draw-down 

and reconciliation of the Per Diem Component of the GPD 

funds was agreed to by voice vote. 

COMMITTEE CONSIDERATION

On March 10, 2010, the full Committee met in an open markup 

session, a quorum being present, and ordered H.R. 4810 reported 

favorably to the House of Representatives, by voice vote. 


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COMMITTEE VOTES

Clause 3(b) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives requires the Committee to list the record votes on the motion 

to report the legislation and amendments thereto. There were no 

record votes taken on amendments or in connection with ordering 

H.R. 4810 reported to the House. A motion by Mr. Henry Brown 

of South Carolina to order reported favorably to the House of Representatives was agreed to by voice vote. 

COMMITTEE OVERSIGHT FINDINGS

In compliance with clause 3(c)(1) of rule XIII and clause (2)(b)(1) 

of rule X of the Rules of the House of Representatives, the Committee’s oversight findings and recommendations are reflected in the 

descriptive portions of this report. 

STATEMENT OF GENERAL PERFORMANCE GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

In accordance with clause 3(c)(4) of rule XIII of the Rules of the 

House of Representatives, the Committee’s performance goals and 

objectives are reflected in the descriptive portions of this report. 

NEW BUDGET AUTHORITY, ENTITLEMENT AUTHORITY, AND TAX

EXPENDITURES

In compliance with clause 3(c)(2) of rule XIII of the Rules of the 

House of Representatives, the Committee adopts as its own the estimate of new budget authority, entitlement authority, or tax expenditures or revenues contained in the cost estimate prepared by 

the Director of the Congressional Budget Office pursuant to section 

402 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974. 

EARMARKS AND TAX AND TARIFF BENEFITS

H.R. 4810 does not contain any congressional earmarks, limited 

tax benefits, or limited tariff benefits as defined in clause 9 of rule 

XXI of the Rules of the House of Representatives. 

COMMITTEE COST ESTIMATE

The Committee adopts as its own the cost estimate on H.R. 4810 

prepared by the Director of the Congressional Budget Office pursuant to section 402 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974. 

CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE COST ESTIMATE

Pursuant to clause 3(c)(3) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House 

of Representatives, the following is the cost estimate for H.R. 4810 

provided by the Congressional Budget Office pursuant to section 

402 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974: 


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U.S. CONGRESS, CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE, Washington, DC, March 15, 2010. 

Hon. BOB FILNER, 

Chairman, Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, 

House of Representatives, Washington, DC. 

DEAR MR. CHAIRMAN: The Congressional Budget Office has prepared the enclosed cost estimate for H.R. 4810, the End Veteran 

Homelessness Act of 2010. 

If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be pleased 

to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Sunita D’Monte. 

Sincerely, 

DOUGLAS W. ELMENDORF, 

Director. 

Enclosure. 

H.R. 4810—End Veteran Homelessness Act of 2010 

Summary: H.R. 4810 would authorize several programs at the 

Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for homeless veterans. CBO 

estimates that implementing the bill would cost $612 million over 

the 2010–2015 period, assuming appropriation of the specified 

amounts. 

Enacting this legislation would not affect direct spending or revenues; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures would not apply. 

H.R. 4810 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (UMRA). 

Estimated cost to the Federal Government: The estimated budgetary impact of H.R. 4810 is shown in the following table. The costs 

of this legislation fall within budget function 700 (veterans benefits 

and services). 

Basis of estimate: For this estimate, CBO assumes the legislation 

will be enacted in fiscal year 2010, that the authorized amounts 

will be provided in 2010 and near the start of each subsequent fiscal year, and that outlays will follow historical patterns for similar 

and existing programs. 

By fiscal year, in millions of dollars— 

2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2010– 

2015 

CHANGES IN SPENDING SUBJECT TO APPROPRIATION 

Supportive Services for Low-Income Families: 

Authorization Level ............................... 0 0 51 76 101 101 329 

Estimated Outlays ................................ 0 0 46 73 98 100 317 

Grants and Per Diem Payments: 

Authorization Level ............................... 50 50 50 50 50 50 300 

Estimated Outlays ................................ 11 70 64 50 50 50 295 

Promoting Programs for the Homeless: 

Estimated Authorization Level .............. * * * * * * * 

Estimated Outlays ................................ * * * * * * * 

Total Costs: 

Estimated Authorization Level ..... 50 50 101 126 151 151 629 

Estimated Outlays ....................... 11 70 110 123 148 150 612 

Note: * = less than $500,000. 


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Supportive Services for Low-Income Families 

Section 5 would permanently extend an existing VA program 

that provides grants to entities serving certain low-income families 

and authorize the appropriation of $329 million over the 2012–2015 

period. 

The program, which expires in 2011, provides grants to entities 

that help low-income families that are homeless, transitioning to 

permanent housing, or already in permanent housing. Those entities provide a variety of services including outreach, case management, and assistance accessing VA or other public benefits. CBO 

estimates that implementing that provision would cost $317 million 

over the 2012–2015 period, assuming appropriation of the specified 

amounts. 

Grants and Per Diem Payments 

Section 2 would increase the annual amounts authorized for the 

VA’s Homeless Providers Grant and Per Diem program (GPD) from 

$150 million to $200 million. That program provides capital grants 

for constructing, renovating, or acquiring buildings and per diem 

payments to fund operating costs. 

In addition, section 3 would make the following changes to the 

GPD program: 

• Funding for operating costs would be based on the entity’s 

annual cost of care and payments would be made each quarter, 

and 

• Payments could be adjusted for geographical differences in 

the cost of care, capped by VA, and used by the entity to match 

other payments or grants for which they might be eligible. 

CBO estimates that implementing those sections would cost $295 

million over the 2010–2015 period, assuming appropriation of the 

specified amounts. 

Promoting Programs for the Homeless 

Section 6 would encourage VA to expand its promotion of programs for homeless veterans to include programs for homeless veterans that are female or have children. Assuming availability of 

appropriated funds, CBO estimates that implementing this section 

would cost less than $500,000 each year and over the 2010–2015 

period. 

Pay-as-you-go considerations: None. 

Intergovernmental and private-sector impact: H.R. 4810 contains 

no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in 

UMRA. State, local, and tribal governments that provide assistance 

to veterans would benefit from grant and program activities authorized in the bill. 

Estimate prepared by: Federal Costs: Sunita D’Monte; Impact on 

State, Local, and Tribal Governments: Lisa Ramirez-Branum; Impact on the Private Sector: Elizabeth Bass. 

Estimate approved by: Theresa Gullo, Deputy Assistant Director 

for Budget Analysis. 

FEDERAL MANDATES STATEMENT

The Committee adopts as its own the estimate of Federal mandates regarding H.R. 4810 prepared by the Director of the CongresVerDate Nov 24 2008 05:54 Mar 23, 2010 Jkt 089006 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6659 Sfmt 6602 E:\HR\OC\HR449.XXX HR449

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sional Budget Office pursuant to section 423 of the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act. 

ADVISORY COMMITTEE STATEMENT

No advisory committees within the meaning of section 5(b) of the 

Federal Advisory Committee Act would be created by H.R. 4810. 

CONSTITUTIONAL AUTHORITY STATEMENT

Pursuant to clause 3(d)(1) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House 

of Representatives, the Committee finds that the Constitutional authority for H.R. 4810 is provided by Article I, section 8 of the Constitution of the United States. 

APPLICABILITY TO LEGISLATIVE BRANCH

The Committee finds that the legislation does not relate to the 

terms and conditions of employment or access to public services or 

accommodations within the meaning of section 102(b)(3) of the Congressional Accountability Act. 

SECTION-BY-SECTION ANALYSIS OF THE LEGISLATION

Section 1. Short title 

This section provides the short title of H.R. 4810 as the ‘‘End 

Veteran Homelessness Act of 2010.’’ 

Section 2. Increase in amount authorized to be appropriated for 

comprehensive service programs for homeless veterans 

This section would increase the annual authorization of appropriations for the VA Grant and Per Diem program for homeless 

veterans from $150 million to $200 million. 

Section 3. Improvement of payments for providing services to homeless veterans 

This section would change the per diem payments from daily cost 

of care to an annual cost of services, including annual adjustments 

to the rate of per diem payments to reflect anticipated changes in 

the cost of providing services and to make geographic adjustments. 

This section would allow the VA to make payments to per diem 

grant recipients on a quarterly basis, and also would establish a 

quarterly reconciliation process where adjustments are made to increase or decrease payments. Finally, this section would allow 

grant recipients to use per diem funds to match other federal funding sources to encourage leveraging VA funds to secure additional 

financial resources from other entities. 

Section 4. Supported housing program outreach 

This section would require each VA medical center that provides 

treatment and services to veterans receiving services under the 

HUD–VASH program to either employ or provide one or more 

housing specialists to conduct landlord outreach. Housing specialists may include peer specialists who were formerly homeless veterans. Landlord outreach activities of the housing specialists include encouraging and facilitating the landlord’s participation in 

the HUD–VASH program; mediating disputes between the vetVerDate Nov 24 2008 05:54 Mar 23, 2010 Jkt 089006 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6659 Sfmt 6602 E:\HR\OC\HR449.XXX HR449

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erans and the landlords; and establishing and maintaining a list of 

available rental units. This section also ensures that the VA work 

with the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to 

help homeless veterans access HUD’s Homelessness Prevention 

and Rapid Re-Housing Program for assistance with basic essentials, security deposits for rental units, and for payments of the 

first month’s rent. 

Section 5. Authorization of appropriations for Department of Veterans Affairs program to provide financial assistance for supportive services for very low-income veteran families in permanent housing 

This section would extend the supportive services program for 

very low-income veteran families in permanent housing and provides for a phased-in increase in the authorization for appropriations to $100 million per year after fiscal year 2013. 

Section 6. Promotion of awareness of Department of Veterans Affairs programs to assist homeless veterans among homeless 

women veterans and homeless veterans with children 

This section would ensure that the VA’s existing authority to advertise in national media for homeless veterans includes new language directing the VA to focus on homeless women veterans and 

homeless veterans with children. 

CHANGES IN EXISTING LAW MADE BY THE BILL, AS REPORTED

In compliance with clause 3(e) of rule XIII of the Rules of the 

House of Representatives, changes in existing law made by the bill, 

as reported, are shown as follows (existing law proposed to be omitted is enclosed in black brackets, new matter is printed in italic, 

existing law in which no change is proposed is shown in roman): 

TITLE 38, UNITED STATES CODE 

* * * * * * * 

PART I—GENERAL PROVISIONS 

* * * * * * * 

CHAPTER 5—AUTHORITY AND DUTIES OF THE 

SECRETARY 

* * * * * * * 

SUBCHAPTER II—SPECIFIED FUNCTIONS 

* * * * * * * 

§ 532. Authority to advertise in national media 

The Secretary may purchase advertising in national media outlets for the purpose of promoting awareness of benefits under laws 

administered by the Secretary, including promoting awareness of 

assistance provided by the Secretary, including assistance for programs to assist homeless veterans (with a special emphasis on promoting awareness of such assistance among homeless women vetVerDate Nov 24 2008 05:54 Mar 23, 2010 Jkt 089006 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6659 Sfmt 6602 E:\HR\OC\HR449.XXX HR449

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erans and homeless veterans with children), to promote veteranowned small businesses, and to provide opportunities for employment in the Department of Veterans Affairs and for education, 

training, compensation, pension, vocational rehabilitation, and 

healthcare benefits, and mental healthcare (including the prevention of suicide among veterans). 

* * * * * * * 

PART II—GENERAL BENEFITS 

* * * * * * * 

CHAPTER 20—BENEFITS FOR HOMELESS VETERANS 

SUBCHAPTER I—PURPOSE; DEFINITIONS; ADMINISTRATIVE MATTERS 

Sec. 

2001. Purpose. 

* * * * * * * 

SUBCHAPTER II—COMPREHENSIVE SERVICE PROGRAMS 

* * * * * * * 

ø2012. Per diem payments.¿ 

2012. Payments for furnishing services to homeless veterans. 

* * * * * * * 

SUBCHAPTER III—TRAINING AND OUTREACH 

* * * * * * * 

2024. Supported housing program outreach. 

* * * * * * * 

SUBCHAPTER II—COMPREHENSIVE SERVICE PROGRAMS 

* * * * * * * 

ø§ 2012. Per diem payments¿ 

§ 2012. Payments for furnishing services to homeless veterans 

(a) øPER DIEM¿ PAYMENTS FOR FURNISHING SERVICES TO HOMELESS VETERANS.—(1) Subject to the availability of appropriations 

provided for such purpose, the Secretary, pursuant to such criteria 

as the Secretary shall prescribe, shall provide to a recipient of a 

grant under section 2011 of this title (or an entity eligible to receive a grant under that section which after November 10, 1992, 

establishes a program that the Secretary determines carries out 

the purposes described in that section) øper diem¿ payments for 

services furnished to any homeless veteran— 

(A) * * * 

* * * * * * * 

(2)(A) The rate for such øper diem¿ payments shall be the ødaily 

cost of care¿ annual cost of furnishing services estimated by the 

grant recipient or eligible entity adjusted by the Secretary under 

subparagraph (B). øIn no case may the rate determined under this 

paragraph exceed the rate authorized for State homes for domiciliary care under subsection (a)(1)(A) of section 1741 of this title, 

as the Secretary may increase from time to time under subsection 

(c) of that section.¿ 


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ø(B) The Secretary shall adjust the rate estimated by the grant 

recipient or eligible entity under subparagraph (A) to exclude other 

sources of income described in subparagraph (D) that the grant recipient or eligible entity certifies to be correct.¿ 

(B) The Secretary shall annually adjust the rate of payment 

under subparagraph (A) to reflect anticipated changes in the cost of 

furnishing services and to take into account the cost of providing 

services in a particular geographic area. The Secretary may set a 

maximum amount payable to a grant recipient under this section. 

(C) Each grant recipient or eligible entity shall provide to the 

Secretary such information with respect to øother sources of income as the Secretary may require to make the adjustment under 

subparagraph (B).¿ the cost of services provided by the grant recipient as the Secretary may require to assist the Secretary in making 

the determination under subparagraph (A) 

ø(D) The other sources of income referred to in subparagraphs 

(B) and (C) are payments to the grant recipient or eligible entity 

for furnishing services to homeless veterans under programs other 

than under this subchapter, including payments and grants from 

other departments and agencies of the United States, from departments or agencies of State or local government, and from private 

entities or organizations.¿ 

(D) In making the determination under subparagraph (A), the 

Secretary may consider the availability of other sources of income, 

including payments to the grant recipient or eligible entity for furnishing services to homeless veterans under programs other than 

under this subchapter, payments or grants from other departments 

or agencies of the United States, from departments or agencies of 

State or local governments, or from private entities or organizations. 

(E) The Secretary shall authorize payments under this subsection 

to each grant recipient on an annual basis but shall make a payment to each grant recipient for each calendar quarter in an 

amount equal to a portion of the annual amount authorized for 

such recipient. Upon the expiration of a calendar quarter, each 

grant recipient shall provide to the Secretary a statement of the 

amount spent by the recipient during that calendar quarter, and if 

the amount spent is less than the amount provided for that calendar 

quarter, repay to the Secretary the balance. If the amount spent by 

a grant recipient for such purpose for a calendar quarter exceeds the 

amount provided to the recipient for that quarter, the Secretary 

shall make an additional payment to the recipient in an amount 

equal to the amount by which the amount so spent exceeded the 

amount so provided, as long as the total amount provided to such 

recipient in a calendar year does not exceed the amount of the annual payment for that recipient. 

ø(3) In a case in which the Secretary has authorized the provision of services, payments under paragraph (1) may be paid retroactively for services provided not more than three days before the 

authorization was provided.¿ 

(3) Payments under this subsection to a grant recipient or eligible 

entity may be used to match, or in combination with, other payments or grants for which the recipient or entity is eligible. 

(b) INSPECTIONS.—The Secretary may inspect any facility of a 

grant recipient or entity eligible for payments under subsection (a) 

at such times as the Secretary considers necessary. No øper diem¿ 


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payment may be provided to a grant recipient or eligible entity 

under this section unless the facilities of the grant recipient or eligible entity meet such standards as the Secretary shall prescribe. 

(c) LIFE SAFETY CODE.—(1) Except as provided in paragraph (2), 

a øper diem¿ payment may not be provided under this section to 

a grant recipient or eligible entity unless the facilities of the grant 

recipient or eligible entity, as the case may be, meet applicable fire 

and safety requirements under the Life Safety Code of the National 

Fire Protection Association or such other comparable fire and safety requirements as the Secretary may specify. 

ø(2) During the five-year period beginning on the date of the enactment of this section, paragraph (1) shall not apply to an entity 

that received a grant under section 3 of the Homeless Veterans 

Comprehensive Service Programs Act of 1992 (Public Law 102-590; 

38 U.S.C. 7721 note) before that date if the entity meets fire and 

safety requirements established by the Secretary.¿ 

ø(3)¿ (2) From amounts available for purposes of this section, not 

less than $5,000,000 shall be used only for grants to assist entities 

covered by paragraph (2) in meeting the Life Safety Code of the 

National Fire Protection Association or such other comparable fire 

and safety requirements as the Secretary may specify. 

§ 2013. Authorization of appropriations 

There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this subchapter ø$150,000,000¿ $200,000,000 for øfiscal year 2007¿ fiscal 

year 2010 and each fiscal year thereafter. 

SUBCHAPTER III—TRAINING AND OUTREACH 

* * * * * * * 

§ 2024. Supported housing program outreach 

(a) LANDLORD OUTREACH.—(1) The Secretary shall ensure that 

each medical center of the Department that provides treatment and 

services under the supported housing program under section 8(o)(19) 

of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437f(o)(19)) 

employs or provides (through coordination with a public housing 

agency, homeless service provider, or other appropriate organization) one or more specialists, which may include peer specialists 

who were formerly homeless veterans, for handling housing issues 

in conjunction with the program under this subsection. 

(2) Such specialists shall conduct outreach to landlords to encourage and facilitate participation in the supportive housing program, 

mediate disputes between veterans receiving assistance under such 

program and landlords, establish and maintain a list of dwelling 

units available for rental with assistance under such program, and 

carry out other appropriate activities. 

(b) HOMELESSNESS PREVENTION AND RAPID RE-HOUSING ASSISTANCE.—The Secretary shall coordinate with the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to provide assistance to homeless veterans in accessing the Homelessness Prevention and Rapid ReHousing Program administered by the Secretary of Housing and 

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jbell on DSKDVH8Z91PROD with REPORTS
14 

posits for rental dwelling units, and advance payments of the first 

month’s rent for such units. 

* * * * * * * 

SUBCHAPTER V—HOUSING ASSISTANCE 

* * * * * * * 

§ 2044. Financial assistance for supportive services for very 

low-income veteran families in permanent housing 

(a) * * * 

* * * * * * * 

(e) FUNDING.—(1) From amounts appropriated to the Department 

for Medical Services, there shall be available to carry out subsection (a), (b), and (c) amounts as follows: 

(A) * * * 

* * * * * * * 

(D) $50,000,000 for fiscal year 2012. 

(E) $75,000,000 for fiscal year 2013. 

(F) $100,000,000 for each subsequent fiscal year. 

* * * * * * * 

(3) There is authorized to be appropriated $1,000,000 for øeach 

of the fiscal year 2009 through 2011¿ each fiscal year to carry out 

the provisions of subsection (d). 

* * * * * * * 

Æ 


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