IC 

113TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 287 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

NOVEMBER 12, 2013 

Referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 

AN ACT 

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

to 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, 


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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Helping Homeless Vet3 erans Act of 2013’’. 

4 SEC. 2. EXPANSION OF DEFINITION OF HOMELESS VET5 ERAN FOR PURPOSES OF BENEFITS UNDER 

6 THE LAWS ADMINISTERED BY THE SEC7 RETARY OF VETERANS AFFAIRS. 

8 Section 2002(1) of title 38, United States Code, is 

9 amended by striking ‘‘in section 103(a) of the McKinney10 Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 11302(a))’’ 

11 and inserting ‘‘in subsection (a) or (b) of section 103 of 

12 the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 

13 11302)’’. 

14 SEC. 3. IMPROVEMENTS TO GRANT PROGRAM FOR COM15 PREHENSIVE SERVICE PROGRAMS FOR 

16 HOMELESS VETERANS. 

17 (a) MODIFICATION OF AUTHORITY TO PROVIDE CAP18 ITAL IMPROVEMENT GRANTS FOR PROGRAMS THAT AS19 SIST HOMELESS VETERANS.—Subsection (a) of section 

20 2011 of title 38, United States Code, is amended, in the 

21 matter before paragraph (1)— 

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

23 modifying, or maintaining’’; and 

24 (2) by inserting ‘‘privately, safely, and se25 curely,’’ before ‘‘the following’’. 


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1 (b) REQUIREMENT THAT RECIPIENTS OF GRANTS

2 MEET PHYSICAL PRIVACY, SAFETY, AND SECURITY

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

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

5 new paragraph: 

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

7 security needs of homeless veterans receiving serv8 ices through the project.’’. 

9 SEC. 4. INCREASED PER DIEM PAYMENTS FOR TRANSI10 TIONAL HOUSING ASSISTANCE THAT BE11 COMES PERMANENT HOUSING FOR HOME12 LESS VETERANS. 

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

14 is amended— 

15 (1) by redesignating subparagraphs (B) 

16 through (D) as subparagraphs (C) through (E), re17 spectively; 

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

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

20 subparagraph (E)’’; 

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

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

23 ‘‘under subparagraph (C)’’; 


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

2 striking ‘‘in subparagraphs (B) and (C)’’ and insert3 ing ‘‘in subparagraphs (C) and (D)’’; and 

4 (5) in subparagraph (A)— 

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

6 ‘‘Except as otherwise provided in subparagraph 

7 (B), the rate’’; and 

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

9 and all that follows through the end and insert10 ing the following: ‘‘under subparagraph (C). 

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

12 may the rate determined under this paragraph exceed the 

13 rate authorized for State homes for domiciliary care under 

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

15 Secretary may increase from time to time under sub16 section (c) of that section. 

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

18 veteran who is placed in housing that will become perma19 nent housing for the veteran upon termination of the fur20 nishing of such services to such veteran, the maximum 

21 rate of per diem authorized under this section is 150 per22 cent of the rate described in clause (i).’’. 


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1 SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF PER DIEM PAYMENTS FOR 

2 FURNISHING CARE TO DEPENDENTS OF CER3 TAIN HOMELESS VETERANS. 

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

5 States Code, is amended by adding at the end the fol6 lowing new paragraph: 

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

8 section 2011 of this title (or an entity described in para9 graph (1)) may receive per diem payments under this sub10 section may include furnishing care for a dependent of a 

11 homeless veteran who is under the care of such homeless 

12 veteran while such homeless veteran receives services from 

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

14 SEC. 6. REQUIREMENT FOR DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS 

15 AFFAIRS TO ASSESS COMPREHENSIVE SERV16 ICE PROGRAMS FOR HOMELESS VETERANS. 

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

18 date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Vet19 erans Affairs shall assess and measure the capacity of pro20 grams for which entities receive grants under section 2011 

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

22 under section 2012 or 2061 of such title. 

23 (b) ASSESSMENT AT NATIONAL AND LOCAL LEV24 ELS.—In assessing and measuring under subsection (a), 

25 the Secretary shall develop and use tools to examine the 


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1 capacity of programs described in such subsection at both 

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

3 (1) Whether sufficient capacity exists to meet 

4 the needs of homeless veterans in each geographic 

5 area. 

6 (2) Whether existing capacity meets the needs 

7 of the subpopulations of homeless veterans located in 

8 each geographic area. 

9 (3) The amount of capacity that recipients of 

10 grants under sections 2011 and 2061 and per diem 

11 payments under section 2012 of such title have to 

12 provide services for which the recipients are eligible 

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

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

15 4(5)(B). 

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

17 the information collected under this section as follows: 

18 (1) To set specific goals to ensure that pro19 grams described in subsection (a) are effectively 

20 serving the needs of homeless veterans. 

21 (2) To assess whether programs described in 

22 subsection (a) are meeting goals set under para23 graph (1). 

24 (3) To inform funding allocations for programs 

25 described in subsection (a). 


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1 (4) To improve the referral of homeless vet2 erans to programs described in subsection (a). 

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

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

5 completed, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee 

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

7 Veterans’ Affairs of the House of Representatives a report 

8 on such assessment and such recommendations for legisla9 tive and administrative action as the Secretary may have 

10 to improve the programs and per diem payments described 

11 in subsection (a). 

12 SEC. 7. EXPANSION OF DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AF13 FAIRS AUTHORITY TO PROVIDE DENTAL 

14 CARE TO HOMELESS VETERANS. 

15 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 2062(b) of title 38, 

16 United States Code, is amended to read as follows: 

17 ‘‘(b) ELIGIBLE VETERANS.—(1) Subsection (a) ap18 plies to a veteran who— 

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

20 of this title; and 

21 ‘‘(B) for a period of 60 consecutive days, is re22 ceiving— 

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

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

25 1437f(o)); or 


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

2 of the following settings: 

3 ‘‘(I) A domiciliary under section 1710 

4 of this title. 

5 ‘‘(II) A therapeutic residence under 

6 section 2032 of this title. 

7 ‘‘(III) Community residential care co8 ordinated by the Secretary under section 

9 1730 of this title. 

10 ‘‘(IV) A setting for which the Sec11 retary provides funds for a grant and per 

12 diem provider. 

13 ‘‘(V) A setting— 

14 ‘‘(aa) in which the veteran is re15 ceiving transitional housing assist16 ance; 

17 ‘‘(bb) for which funding is not 

18 provided for transitional housing as19 sistance under the laws administered 

20 by the Secretary; 

21 ‘‘(cc) for which the Secretary re22 ceives verification from the provider of 

23 care that the veteran is receiving care 

24 for a period of 60 consecutive days; 

25 and 


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1 ‘‘(dd) from which the Secretary 

2 determines that the veteran cannot 

3 reasonably access comparable dental 

4 services at no cost and in a reasonable 

5 period of time. 

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

7 whether a veteran has received assistance or care for a 

8 period of 60 consecutive days, the Secretary may disregard 

9 breaks in the continuity of assistance or care for which 

10 the veteran is not responsible.’’. 

11 (b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendment made by 

12 subsection (a) shall take effect on the date that is one 

13 year after the date of the enactment of this Act. 

14 SEC. 8. PARTNERSHIPS WITH PUBLIC AND PRIVATE ENTI15 TIES TO PROVIDE LEGAL SERVICES TO 

16 HOMELESS VETERANS AND VETERANS AT 

17 RISK OF HOMELESSNESS. 

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

19 States Code, is amended by inserting after section 2022 

20 the following new section: 


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1 ‘‘§ 2022A. Partnerships with public and private enti2 ties to provide legal services to homeless 

3 veterans and veterans at risk of home4 lessness 

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

6 availability of funds for that purpose, the Secretary may 

7 enter into partnerships with public or private entities to 

8 fund a portion of the general legal services specified in 

9 subsection (c) that are provided by such entities to home10 less veterans and veterans at risk of homelessness. 

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

12 to the extent practicable, partnerships under this section 

13 are made with entities equitably distributed across the ge14 ographic regions of the United States, including rural 

15 communities, tribal lands of the United States, Native 

16 Americans, and tribal organizations (as defined in section 

17 3765 of title 38, United States Code). 

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

19 this subsection include legal services provided by public 

20 or private entities that address the needs of homeless vet21 erans and veterans at risk of homelessness as follows: 

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

23 eviction defense and representation in landlord-ten24 ant cases. 


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1 ‘‘(2) Legal services related to family law, in2 cluding assistance in court proceedings for child sup3 port, divorce, and estate planning. 

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

5 including assistance in obtaining public benefits. 

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

7 including defense in matters symptomatic of home8 lessness, such as outstanding warrants, fines, and 

9 driver’s license revocation, to reduce recidivism and 

10 facilitate the overcoming of reentry obstacles in em11 ployment or housing. 

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

13 out partnerships under this section, the Secretary shall, 

14 to the extent practicable, consult with public and private 

15 entities— 

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

17 organizations capable of providing the legal services 

18 described in subsection (c); and 

19 ‘‘(2) to coordinate appropriate outreach rela20 tionships with such organizations. 

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

22 that have entered into partnerships under this section to 

23 submit to the Secretary periodic reports on legal services 

24 provided to homeless veterans and veterans at risk of 

25 homelessness pursuant to such partnerships. 


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1 ‘‘(f) SUNSET.—The authority of the Secretary to 

2 enter into partnerships under this section as described in 

3 subsection (a) shall expire on December 31, 2016.’’. 

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

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

6 by adding after the item relating to section 2022 the fol7 lowing new item: 

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

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

8 SEC. 9. REQUESTS FOR DATA TO EVALUATE AND IMPROVE 

9 SERVICES PROVIDED TO VETERANS AT RISK 

10 OF HOMELESSNESS. 

11 Section 2022 of title 38, United States Code, is 

12 amended— 

13 (1) by redesignating subsection (f) as sub14 section (g); 

15 (2) by inserting after subsection (e) the fol16 lowing new subsection (f): 

17 ‘‘(f) REQUESTS FOR DATA TO EVALUATE AND IM18 PROVE SERVICES PROVIDED TO VETERANS AT RISK OF

19 HOMELESSNESS.—(1) The Secretary shall from time to 

20 time request from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, 

21 the Bureau of Prisons, the Bureau of Justice Statistics, 

22 and other appropriate Federal law enforcement agencies 

23 data in the possession of such agencies useful for the eval24 uation and improvement of the services provided to vetVerDate Mar 15 2010 01:26 Nov 13, 2013 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00012 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S287.RFH S287

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1 erans at risk of homelessness under this section and sec2 tion 2023 of this title. 

3 ‘‘(2) Such agencies shall make reasonable efforts to 

4 comply with any such request by the Secretary.’’. 

5 SEC. 10. EXTENSION OF AUTHORITY FOR PROGRAM OF RE6 FERRAL AND COUNSELING SERVICES FOR 

7 VETERANS AT RISK OF HOMELESSNESS WHO 

8 ARE TRANSITIONING FROM CERTAIN INSTI9 TUTIONS. 

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

11 amended— 

12 (1) by striking subsection (b); 

13 (2) in subsection (c)(1), by striking ‘‘To the ex14 tent practicable, the program’’ and inserting ‘‘The 

15 program’’; 

16 (3) in subsection (d), by striking ‘‘September 

17 30, 2014’’ and inserting ‘‘September 30, 2017’’; 

18 (4) in subsection (e)(2), by striking ‘‘provided 

19 under the demonstration program’’; and 

20 (5) by redesignating subsections (c), (d), and 

21 (e) as subsections (b), (c), and (d), respectively. 

22 SEC. 11. REPEAL OF REQUIREMENT FOR ANNUAL REPORTS 

23 ON ASSISTANCE TO HOMELESS VETERANS. 

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

25 States Code, is hereby repealed. 


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

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

3 by striking the item relating to section 2065. 

4 SEC. 12. EXTENSIONS OF AUTHORITIES. 

5 (a) TREATMENT AND REHABILITATION FOR SERI6 OUSLY MENTALLY ILL AND HOMELESS VETERANS.—Sec7 tion 2031(b) of title 38, United States Code, is amended 

8 by striking ‘‘December 31, 2013’’ and inserting ‘‘Decem9 ber 31, 2014’’. 

10 (b) CENTERS FOR THE PROVISION OF COMPREHEN11 SIVE SERVICES TO HOMELESS VETERANS.—Section 

12 2033(d) of such title is amended by striking ‘‘December 

13 31, 2013’’ and inserting ‘‘December 31, 2014’’. 

14 (c) HOUSING ASSISTANCE FOR HOMELESS VET15 ERANS.—Section 2041(c) of such title is amended by 

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

17 31, 2014’’. 

18 (d) TRAINING ENTITIES FOR PROVISION OF SUP19 PORTIVE SERVICES FOR VERY LOW-INCOME VETERAN

20 FAMILIES IN PERMANENT HOUSING.—Section 2044(e)(3) 

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

22 ‘‘2014’’. 

23 (e) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE GRANTS FOR NON24 PROFIT COMMUNITY-BASED GROUPS.—Section 2064(b) 


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

2 ‘‘2014’’. 

3 (f) ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON HOMELESS VET4 ERANS.—Section 2066(d) of such title is amended by 

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

6 31, 2014’’. 

7 SEC. 13. EXTENSION OF REDUCED PENSION FOR CERTAIN 

8 VETERANS COVERED BY MEDICAID PLANS 

9 FOR SERVICES FURNISHED BY NURSING FA10 CILITIES. 

11 (a) IN GENERAL.—Subsection (d)(7) of section 5503 

12 of title 38, United States Code, is amended by striking 

13 ‘‘November 30, 2016’’ and inserting ‘‘August 31, 2017’’. 

14 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENTS.— 

15 (1) SECTION HEADING.—The section heading of 

16 such section is amended to read as follows: ‘‘Re17 duced pension for certain hospitalized 

18 veterans and certain veterans receiving 

19 domiciliary, nursing home, or nursing fa20 cility care’’. 

21 (2) TABLE OF SECTIONS.—The table of sections 

22 at the beginning of chapter 55 of such title is 

23 amended by striking the item relating to section 

24 5503 and inserting the following new item: 


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‘‘5503. Reduced pension for certain hospitalized veterans and certain veterans 

receiving domiciliary, nursing home, or nursing facility care.’’. 

Passed the Senate November 6, 2013. 

Attest: NANCY ERICKSON, 

Secretary. 


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