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[House Report 111-449]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]

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

                          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, post-traumatic 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 transitional 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 Information 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 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.

                            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:

                                     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.

            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 
Congressional 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 veterans 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

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *

Sec. 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 veterans and homeless veterans with 
children), to promote veteran-owned 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

     * * * * * * *
[2012. 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

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *

[Sec. 2012. Per diem payments]

Sec. 2012. Payments for furnishing services to homeless veterans

  (a) [Per 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) [per diem] payments for services furnished to any 
homeless veteran--
          (A) * * *

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *

  (2)(A) The rate for such [per diem] payments shall be the 
[daily cost of care] annual cost of furnishing services 
estimated by the grant recipient or eligible entity adjusted by 
the Secretary under subparagraph (B). [In 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.]
  [(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 [other 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)
  [(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.
  [(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 [per diem] 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 [per 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.
  [(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.]
  [(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.

Sec. 2013. Authorization of appropriations

  There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this 
subchapter [$150,000,000] $200,000,000 for [fiscal year 2007] 
fiscal year 2010 and each fiscal year thereafter.

SUBCHAPTER III--TRAINING AND OUTREACH

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *

Sec. 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 Re-Housing Program administered by the Secretary of 
Housing and Urban Development for assistance for basic 
essentials, security deposits for rental dwelling units, and 
advance payments of the first month's rent for such units.

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *

SUBCHAPTER V--HOUSING ASSISTANCE

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *

Sec. 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 
[each of the fiscal year 2009 through 2011] each fiscal year to 
carry out the provisions of subsection (d).

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *

                                  
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