IIB 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1257 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JUNE 16, 2021 

Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 

AN ACT 

To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to conduct a 

study on the effect of financial and credit counseling 

for homeless veterans and veterans experiencing housing 

instability, 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, 


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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

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

3 Credit Repair, Enhancement, and Debt Improvement for 

4 Tomorrow Act’’ or the ‘‘Homeless Veterans CREDIT 

5 Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. STUDY ON FINANCIAL AND CREDIT COUNSELING. 

7 (a) STUDY REQUIRED.—The Secretary of Veterans 

8 Affairs shall conduct a comprehensive study on— 

9 (1) the use of and variation of financial and 

10 credit counseling services available for homeless vet11 erans and veterans experiencing housing instability; 

12 (2) barriers to accessing financial and credit 

13 counseling for such veterans; and 

14 (3) the ability to evaluate and assess the poten15 tial effects of financial and credit counseling for 

16 such veterans with respect to housing, employment, 

17 income, and other outcomes the Secretary deter18 mines appropriate. 

19 (b) METHODOLOGY.—In conducting the study under 

20 subsection (a), the Secretary shall— 

21 (1) survey— 

22 (A) homeless veterans and veterans experi23 encing housing instability who are enrolled in 

24 the Supportive Services for Veterans Families 

25 program; 


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1 (B) such veterans who do not seek or re2 ceive the care or services under such program 

3 or a similar program; 

4 (C) grantees of the Supportive Services for 

5 Veterans Families program; 

6 (D) financial and credit counselors; and 

7 (E) persons who are subject matter experts 

8 regarding the use of financial and credit coun9 seling services that the Secretary determines 

10 appropriate; and 

11 (2) administer the survey to a representative 

12 sample of homeless veterans and veterans experi13 encing housing instability in areas with high veteran 

14 homelessness. 

15 (c) USE AND VARIATION OF SERVICES.—In con16 ducting the study under subsection (a)(1), the Secretary 

17 shall— 

18 (1) use data from the Supportive Services for 

19 Veterans Families program and other data collected 

20 by the Department of Veterans Affairs, data col21 lected by other departments or agencies of the Fed22 eral Government, and data collected by nongovern23 mental entities to compare the use of and variation 

24 of financial and credit counseling services available 

25 for homeless veterans and veterans experiencing 


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1 housing instability and such use and variation for 

2 other individuals; and 

3 (2) assess such services made available through 

4 the Supportive Services for Veterans Families pro5 gram, including with respect to the types, modes of 

6 delivery, duration, consistency, and quality, of such 

7 services. 

8 (d) BARRIERS TO COUNSELING.—In conducting the 

9 study under subsection (a)(2), the Secretary shall conduct 

10 research on the effects of the following perceived barriers 

11 to financial and credit counseling for homeless veterans 

12 and veterans experiencing housing instability surveyed in 

13 the study: 

14 (1) The cost of financial and credit counseling 

15 services. 

16 (2) The perceived stigma associated with seek17 ing financial and credit counseling assistance. 

18 (3) The effect of driving distance or availability 

19 of other forms of transportation to the nearest facil20 ity that received a grant under the Supportive Serv21 ices for Veterans Families program. 

22 (4) The availability of child care. 

23 (5) The comprehension of eligibility require24 ments for, and the scope of services available under, 


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1 the Supportive Services for Veterans Families pro2 gram. 

3 (6) The effectiveness of outreach for the serv4 ices available to such veterans under the Supportive 

5 Services for Veterans Families program. 

6 (7) The location and operating hours of facili7 ties that provide services to such veterans under the 

8 Supportive Services for Veterans Families program. 

9 (8) The COVID–19 pandemic and other health 

10 related issues. 

11 (9) Such other significant barriers as the Sec12 retary considers appropriate. 

13 (e) EVALUATION AND ASSESSMENT OF EFFECTS OF

14 COUNSELING.— 

15 (1) EFFECTS.—In conducting the study under 

16 subsection (a)(3), the Secretary shall conduct re17 search on the ability to evaluate and assess the po18 tential effects of financial and credit counseling serv19 ices on homeless veterans and veterans experiencing 

20 housing instability with respect to the following: 

21 (A) The effects of such services on employ22 ment by comparing the veterans who received 

23 such services and the veterans who did not re24 ceive such services. 


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1 (B) The effects of such services on housing 

2 status by comparing the veterans who received 

3 such services and the veterans who did not re4 ceive such services. 

5 (C) The effects of such services on income 

6 by comparing the veterans who received such 

7 services and the veterans who did not receive 

8 such services. 

9 (D) The effects of such services on credit 

10 score by comparing the veterans who received 

11 such services and the veterans who did not re12 ceive such services. 

13 (E) The effects of such services on other 

14 outcomes the Secretary determines appropriate. 

15 (2) DATA AND RECOMMENDATIONS.—In car16 rying out paragraph (1), the Secretary shall— 

17 (A) determine the relevant data that is 

18 available to the Secretary and determine the 

19 confidence of the Secretary with respect to ac20 cessing any additional data the Secretary may 

21 require; and 

22 (B) provide recommendations regarding 

23 the optimal research or evaluation design that 

24 would generate the greatest insights and value. 


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1 (f) DISCHARGE BY CONTRACT.—The Secretary may 

2 seek to enter into a contract with a qualified independent 

3 entity or organization to carry out the study and research 

4 required under this section, including such an entity or 

5 organization that is able to access credit scores, data 

6 maintained by the Internal Revenue Service, and other 

7 date beneficial to studying income. 

8 (g) MANDATORY REVIEW OF DATA BY CERTAIN

9 ELEMENTS OF DEPARTMENT.— 

10 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall ensure 

11 that the head of each element of the Department of 

12 Veterans Affairs specified in paragraph (2) reviews 

13 the results of the study conducted under subsection 

14 (a). The head of each such element shall submit to 

15 the Deputy Under Secretary for Health for Oper16 ations and Management the findings of the head 

17 with respect to the study, including recommenda18 tions regarding what data the Secretary should col19 lect from grantees under the Supportive Services for 

20 Veterans Families program. 

21 (2) SPECIFIED ELEMENTS.—The elements of 

22 the Department of Veterans Affairs specified in this 

23 paragraph are the following: 


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1 (A) The Advisory Committee on Homeless 

2 Veterans established under section 2066 of title 

3 38, United States Code. 

4 (B) The Advisory Committee on Women 

5 Veterans established under section 542 of title 

6 38, United States Code. 

7 (C) The Advisory Committee on Minority 

8 Veterans established under section 544 of title 

9 38, United States Code. 

10 (D) The Homeless Programs Office of the 

11 Veterans Health Administration. 

12 (E) The Office of Tribal Government Rela13 tions of the Department. 

14 (h) REPORTS.— 

15 (1) INTERIM REPORT.—Not later than one year 

16 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Sec17 retary shall submit to Congress an interim report on 

18 the study under subsection (a). 

19 (2) FINAL REPORT.—Not later than 30 months 

20 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Sec21 retary shall submit to Congress a report on the 

22 study under subsection (a). The report shall in23 clude— 


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1 (A) the findings of the head of each ele2 ment of the Department specified under sub3 section (g)(2); and 

4 (B) recommendations for such administra5 tive and legislative action as the Secretary con6 siders appropriate. 

7 (i) DEFINITION.—In this section: 

8 (1) The term ‘‘homeless veterans and veterans 

9 experiencing housing instability’’ means veterans 

10 who are homeless (as that term is defined in sub11 section (a) or (b) of section 103 of the McKinney– 

12 Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 11302)). 

13 (2) The term ‘‘Supportive Services for Veterans 

14 Families program’’ means the program established 

15 pursuant to section 2044 of title 38, United States 

16 Code. 

17 SEC. 3. TECHNICAL CORRECTIONS. 

18 (a) TITLE 38, UNITED STATES CODE.—Title 38, 

19 United States Code, is amended as follows: 

20 (1) In section 1786(d), as added by section 

21 3006 of the Johnny Isakson and David P. Roe, 

22 M.D. Veterans Health Care and Benefits Improve23 ment Act of 2020 (Public Law 116–315), by strik24 ing paragraph (3). 


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1 (2) In section 3673(f), as added by section 

2 1023 of such Act, by striking paragraph (3). 

3 (b) JOHNNY ISAKSON AND DAVID P. ROE, M.D. VET4 ERANS HEALTH CARE AND BENEFITS IMPROVEMENT ACT

5 OF 2020.—The Johnny Isakson and David P. Roe, M.D. 

6 Veterans Health Care and Benefits Improvement Act of 

7 2020 (Public Law 116–315) is amended as follows: 

8 (1) In section 3010— 

9 (A) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘The 

10 Secretary’’ and inserting ‘‘Subject to the avail11 ability of appropriations for such purpose, the 

12 Secretary’’; and 

13 (B) by striking subsection (h). 

14 (2) In section 4201(a), by adding at the end 

15 the following new paragraph: 

16 ‘‘(3) USE OF AUTHORITY.—The Secretary shall 

17 ensure that paragraph (1) is carried out in accord18 ance with established procedures for 

19 reprogrammings or transfers, including with respect 


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1 to presenting a request for a reprogramming of 

2 funds.’’. 

Passed the House of Representatives June 15, 2021. 

Attest: CHERYL L. JOHNSON, 

Clerk. 


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