II 

113TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 825 

To amend title 38, United States Code, to improve the provision of services 

for homeless veterans, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

APRIL 25, 2013 

Mr. SANDERS (for himself and Mr. BURR) introduced the following bill; which 

was read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 

A BILL 

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

provision of services 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. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Homeless Veterans 

5 Prevention Act of 2013’’. 

6 SEC. 2. IMPROVEMENTS TO GRANT PROGRAM FOR COM7 PREHENSIVE SERVICE PROGRAMS FOR 

8 HOMELESS VETERANS. 

9 (a) MODIFICATION OF AUTHORITY TO PROVIDE CAP10 ITAL IMPROVEMENT GRANTS FOR PROGRAMS THAT ASVerDate Mar 15 2010 02:41 Apr 30, 2013 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S825.IS S825

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1 SIST HOMELESS VETERANS.—Subsection (a) of section 

2 2011 of title 38, United States Code, is amended, in the 

3 matter before paragraph (1)— 

4 (1) by striking ‘‘or modifying’’ and inserting ‘‘, 

5 modifying, or maintaining’’; and 

6 (2) by inserting ‘‘privately, safely, and se7 curely,’’ before ‘‘the following’’. 

8 (b) REQUIREMENT THAT RECIPIENTS OF GRANTS

9 MEET PHYSICAL PRIVACY, SAFETY, AND SECURITY

10 NEEDS OF HOMELESS VETERANS.—Subsection (f) of 

11 such section is amended by adding at the end the following 

12 new paragraph: 

13 ‘‘(6) To meet the physical privacy, safety, and 

14 security needs of homeless veterans receiving serv15 ices through the project.’’. 

16 SEC. 3. INCREASED PER DIEM PAYMENTS FOR TRANSI17 TIONAL HOUSING ASSISTANCE THAT BE18 COMES PERMANENT HOUSING FOR HOME19 LESS VETERANS. 

20 Section 2012(a)(2) of title 38, United States Code, 

21 is amended— 

22 (1) by redesignating subparagraphs (B) 

23 through (D) as subparagraphs (C) through (E), re24 spectively; 


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1 (2) in subparagraph (C), as redesignated, by 

2 striking ‘‘in subparagraph (D)’’ and inserting ‘‘in 

3 subparagraph (E)’’; 

4 (3) in subparagraph (D), as redesignated, by 

5 striking ‘‘under subparagraph (B)’’ and inserting 

6 ‘‘under subparagraph (C)’’; 

7 (4) in subparagraph (E), as redesignated, by 

8 striking ‘‘in subparagraphs (B) and (C)’’ and insert9 ing ‘‘in subparagraphs (C) and (D)’’; and 

10 (5) in subparagraph (A)— 

11 (A) by striking ‘‘The rate’’ and inserting 

12 ‘‘Except as otherwise provided in subparagraph 

13 (B), the rate’’; and 

14 (B) by striking ‘‘under subparagraph (B)’’ 

15 and all that follows through the end and insert16 ing the following: ‘‘under subparagraph (C). 

17 ‘‘(B)(i) Except as provided in clause (ii), in no case 

18 may the rate determined under this paragraph exceed the 

19 rate authorized for State homes for domiciliary care under 

20 subsection (a)(1)(A) of section 1741 of this title, as the 

21 Secretary may increase from time to time under sub22 section (c) of that section. 

23 ‘‘(ii) In the case of services furnished to a homeless 

24 veteran who is placed in housing that will become perma25 nent housing for the veteran upon termination of the furVerDate Mar 15 2010 02:41 Apr 30, 2013 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S825.IS S825

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1 nishing of such services to such veteran, the maximum 

2 rate of per diem authorized under this section is 150 per3 cent of the rate described in clause (i).’’. 

4 SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION OF PER DIEM PAYMENTS FOR 

5 FURNISHING CARE TO DEPENDENTS OF CER6 TAIN HOMELESS VETERANS. 

7 Subsection (a) of section 2012 of title 38, United 

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

10 ‘‘(4) Services for which a recipient of a grant under 

11 section 2011 of this title (or an entity described in para12 graph (1)) may receive per diem payments under this sub13 section may include furnishing care for a dependent of a 

14 homeless veteran who is under the care of such homeless 

15 veteran while such homeless veteran receives services from 

16 the grant recipient (or entity).’’. 

17 SEC. 5. REQUIREMENT FOR DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS 

18 AFFAIRS TO ASSESS COMPREHENSIVE SERV19 ICE PROGRAMS FOR HOMELESS VETERANS. 

20 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than one year after the 

21 date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Vet22 erans Affairs shall assess and measure the capacity of pro23 grams for which entities receive grants under section 2011 

24 of title 38, United States Code, or per diem payments 

25 under section 2012 or 2061 of such title. 


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1 (b) ASSESSMENT AT NATIONAL AND LOCAL LEV2 ELS.—In assessing and measuring under subsection (a), 

3 the Secretary shall develop and use tools to examine the 

4 capacity of programs described in such subsection at both 

5 the national and local level in order to assess the following: 

6 (1) Whether sufficient capacity exists to meet 

7 the needs of homeless veterans in each geographic 

8 area. 

9 (2) Whether existing capacity meets the needs 

10 of the subpopulations of homeless veterans located in 

11 each geographic area. 

12 (3) The amount of capacity that recipients of 

13 grants under sections 2011 and 2061 and per diem 

14 payments under section 2012 of such title have to 

15 provide services for which the recipients are eligible 

16 to receive per diem under section 2012(a)(2)(B)(ii) 

17 of title 38, United States Code, as added by section 

18 3(5)(B). 

19 (c) USE OF INFORMATION.—The Secretary shall use 

20 the information collected under this section as follows: 

21 (1) To set specific goals to ensure that pro22 grams described in subsection (a) are effectively 

23 serving the needs of homeless veterans. 


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1 (2) To assess whether programs described in 

2 subsection (a) are meeting goals set under para3 graph (1). 

4 (3) To inform funding allocations for programs 

5 described in subsection (a). 

6 (4) To improve the referral of homeless vet7 erans to programs described in subsection (a). 

8 (d) REPORT.—Not later than 180 days after the date 

9 on which the assessment required by subsection (b) is 

10 completed, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee 

11 on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on 

12 Veterans’ Affairs of the House of Representatives a report 

13 on such assessment and such recommendations for legisla14 tive and administrative action as the Secretary may have 

15 to improve the programs and per diem payments described 

16 in subsection (a). 

17 SEC. 6. REPEAL OF REQUIREMENT FOR ANNUAL REPORTS 

18 ON ASSISTANCE TO HOMELESS VETERANS. 

19 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 2065 of title 38, United 

20 States Code, is hereby repealed. 

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

22 at the beginning of chapter 20 of such title is amended 

23 by striking the item relating to section 2065. 


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1 SEC. 7. REPEAL OF SUNSET ON AUTHORITY TO CARRY OUT 

2 PROGRAM OF REFERRAL AND COUNSELING 

3 SERVICES FOR VETERANS AT RISK FOR 

4 HOMELESSNESS WHO ARE TRANSITIONING 

5 FROM CERTAIN INSTITUTIONS. 

6 Section 2023 of title 38, United States Code, is 

7 amended— 

8 (1) by striking subsection (d); and 

9 (2) by redesignating subsection (e) as sub10 section (d). 

11 SEC. 8. PARTNERSHIPS WITH PUBLIC AND PRIVATE ENTI12 TIES TO PROVIDE LEGAL SERVICES TO 

13 HOMELESS VETERANS AND VETERANS AT 

14 RISK OF HOMELESSNESS. 

15 (a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 20 of title 38, United 

16 States Code, is amended by inserting after section 2022 

17 the following new section: 

18 ‘‘§ 2022A. Partnerships with public and private enti19 ties to provide legal services to homeless 

20 veterans and veterans at risk of home21 lessness 

22 ‘‘(a) PARTNERSHIPS AUTHORIZED.—Subject to the 

23 availability of funds for that purpose, the Secretary may 

24 enter into partnerships with public or private entities to 

25 fund a portion of the general legal services specified in 


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1 subsection (c) that are provided by such entities to home2 less veterans and veterans at risk of homelessness. 

3 ‘‘(b) LOCATIONS.—The Secretary shall ensure that, 

4 to the extent practicable, partnerships under this section 

5 are made with entities equitably distributed across the ge6 ographic regions of the United States, including rural 

7 communities and tribal lands. 

8 ‘‘(c) LEGAL SERVICES.—Legal services specified in 

9 this subsection include legal services provided by public 

10 or private entities that address the needs of homeless vet11 erans and veterans at risk of homelessness as follows: 

12 ‘‘(1) Legal services related to housing, including 

13 eviction defense and representation in landlord-ten14 ant cases. 

15 ‘‘(2) Legal services related to family law, in16 cluding assistance in court proceedings for child sup17 port, divorce, and estate planning. 

18 ‘‘(3) Legal services related to income support, 

19 including assistance in obtaining public benefits. 

20 ‘‘(4) Legal services related to criminal defense, 

21 including defense in matters symptomatic of home22 lessness, such as outstanding warrants, fines, and 

23 driver’s license revocation, to reduce recidivism and 

24 facilitate the overcoming of reentry obstacles in em25 ployment or housing. 


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1 ‘‘(d) CONSULTATION.—In developing and carrying 

2 out partnerships under this section, the Secretary shall, 

3 to the extent practicable, consult with public and private 

4 entities— 

5 ‘‘(1) for assistance in identifying and contacting 

6 organizations described in subsection (c); and 

7 ‘‘(2) to coordinate appropriate outreach rela8 tionships with such organizations. 

9 ‘‘(e) REPORTS.—The Secretary may require entities 

10 that have entered into partnerships under this section to 

11 submit to the Secretary periodic reports on legal services 

12 provided to homeless veterans and veterans at risk of 

13 homelessness pursuant to such partnerships.’’. 

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

15 at the beginning of chapter 20 of such title is amended 

16 by adding after the item relating to section 2022 the fol17 lowing new item: 

‘‘2022A. Partnerships with public and private entities to provide legal services 

to homeless veterans and veterans at risk of homelessness.’’. 

18 SEC. 9. EXPANSION OF DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AF19 FAIRS AUTHORITY TO PROVIDE DENTAL 

20 CARE TO HOMELESS VETERANS. 

21 Subsection (b) of section 2062 of title 38, United 

22 States Code, is amended to read as follows: 

23 ‘‘(b) ELIGIBLE VETERANS.—(1) Subsection (a) ap24 plies to a veteran who— 


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1 ‘‘(A) is enrolled for care under section 1705(a) 

2 of this title; and 

3 ‘‘(B) for a period of 60 consecutive days, is re4 ceiving— 

5 ‘‘(i) assistance under section 8(o) of the 

6 United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 

7 1437f(o)); or 

8 ‘‘(ii) care (directly or by contract) in any 

9 of the following settings: 

10 ‘‘(I) A domiciliary under section 1710 

11 of this title. 

12 ‘‘(II) A therapeutic residence under 

13 section 2032 of this title. 

14 ‘‘(III) Community residential care co15 ordinated by the Secretary under section 

16 1730 of this title. 

17 ‘‘(IV) A setting for which the Sec18 retary provides funds for a grant and per 

19 diem provider. 

20 ‘‘(2) For purposes of paragraph (1), in determining 

21 whether a veteran has received assistance or care for a 

22 period of 60 consecutive days, the Secretary may disregard 

23 breaks in the continuity of assistance or care for which 

24 the veteran is not responsible.’’. 


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1 SEC. 10. EXTENSIONS OF AUTHORITIES. 

2 (a) COMPREHENSIVE SERVICE PROGRAMS.—Section 

3 2013 of title 38, United States Code, is amended by strik4 ing paragraphs (4) through (6) and inserting the fol5 lowing: 

6 ‘‘(4) $250,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2012 

7 through 2014. 

8 ‘‘(5) $150,000,000 for fiscal year 2015 and 

9 each subsequent fiscal year.’’. 

10 (b) HOMELESS VETERANS REINTEGRATION PRO11 GRAMS.—Section 2021(e)(1)(F) of such title is amended 

12 by striking ‘‘2013’’ and inserting ‘‘2014’’. 

13 (c) TREATMENT AND REHABILITATION FOR SERI14 OUSLY MENTALLY ILL AND HOMELESS VETERANS.—Sec15 tion 2031(b) of such title is amended by striking ‘‘Decem16 ber 31, 2013’’ and inserting ‘‘December 31, 2014’’. 

17 (d) CENTERS FOR THE PROVISION OF COMPREHEN18 SIVE SERVICES TO HOMELESS VETERANS.—Section 

19 2033(d) of such title is amended by striking ‘‘December 

20 31, 2013’’ and inserting ‘‘December 31, 2014’’. 

21 (e) HOUSING ASSISTANCE FOR HOMELESS VET22 ERANS.—Section 2041(c) of such title is amended by 

23 striking ‘‘December 31, 2013’’ and inserting ‘‘December 

24 31, 2014’’. 


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1 (f) FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE FOR SUPPORTIVE SERV2 ICES FOR VERY LOW-INCOME VETERAN FAMILIES IN

3 PERMANENT HOUSING.— 

4 (1) IN GENERAL.—Paragraph (1) of section 

5 2044(e) of such title is amended by adding at the 

6 end the following new subparagraph (F): 

7 ‘‘(F) $300,000,000 for fiscal year 2014.’’. 

8 (2) TRAINING ENTITIES FOR PROVISION OF

9 SUPPORTIVE SERVICES.—Paragraph (3) of such sec10 tion is amended by striking ‘‘2012’’ and inserting 

11 ‘‘2014’’. 

12 (g) GRANT PROGRAM FOR HOMELESS VETERANS

13 WITH SPECIAL NEEDS.—Section 2061(d)(1) of such title 

14 is amended by striking ‘‘for each of’’ through ‘‘shall be 

15 available’’ and inserting ‘‘for each of fiscal years 2007 

16 through 2014, $5,000,000 shall be available’’. 

17 (h) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE GRANTS FOR NON18 PROFIT COMMUNITY-BASED GROUPS.—Section 2064(b) 

19 of such title is amended by striking ‘‘2012’’ and inserting 

20 ‘‘2014’’. 

21 (i) ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON HOMELESS VET22 ERANS.—Section 2066(d) of such title is amended by 

23 striking ‘‘December 31, 2013’’ and inserting ‘‘December 

24 31, 2014’’. 

Æ 


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