HR 2874 RFS
mined by the Secretary in consultation with the Secretary 
of Defense) during a period of war after the Persian Gulf 
War, or in combat against a hostile force during a period 
of hostilities (as defined in section1712A(a)(2)(B) of this 
title) after November 11, 1998, and who is discharged or 
released from active military, naval, or air service on or 
after September 11, 2001.’’. 
(b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections 
at the beginning of such chapter is amended by inserting 
after the item relating to section 1712B the following new 
item: 
‘‘1712C. Provision of readjustment counseling and mental health services for 
covered veterans.’’. 
SEC. 7. EXPANSION AND EXTENSION OF AUTHORITY FOR 
PROGRAM OF REFERRAL AND COUNSELING 
SERVICES 
FOR 
AT-RISK 
VETERANS 
TRANSITIONING 
FROM 
CERTAIN 
INSTITU-
TIONS. 
(a) PROGRAM AUTHORITY.—Subsection (a) of section 
2023 of title 38, United States Code, is amended by strik-
ing ‘‘a demonstration program for the purpose of deter-
mining the costs and benefits of providing’’ and inserting 
‘‘a program to provide’’. 
(b) SCOPE OF PROGRAM.—Subsection (b) of such 
section is amended— 
VerDate Aug 31 2005 
21:43 Aug 06, 2007
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00010
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H2874.RFS
H2874
sroberts on PROD1PC70 with BILLS
HR 2874 RFS
(1) by striking ‘‘DEMONSTRATION’’ in the sub-
section heading; 
(2) by striking ‘‘demonstration’’; and 
(3) by striking ‘‘in at least six locations’’ and 
inserting ‘‘in at least 12 locations’’. 
(c) EXTENSION OF AUTHORITY.—Subsection (d) of 
such section is amended by striking ‘‘shall cease’’ and all 
that follows and inserting ‘‘shall cease on September 30, 
2011.’’. 
(d) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.— 
(1) SCOPE OF PROGRAM.—Subsection (c)(1) of 
such section is amended by striking ‘‘demonstra-
tion’’. 
(2) SECTION HEADING.—The heading of such 
section is amended to read as follows: 
‘‘§ 2023. Referral and counseling services: veterans at 
risk 
of 
homelessness 
who 
are 
transitioning from certain institutions’’. 
(3) OTHER
CONFORMING
AMENDMENT.—Sec-
tion 2022(f)(2)(C) of such title is amended by strik-
ing ‘‘demonstration’’. 
(e) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections 
at the beginning of chapter 20 of such title is amended 
by striking the item relating to section 2023 and inserting 
the following new item: 
VerDate Aug 31 2005 
21:43 Aug 06, 2007
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00011
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H2874.RFS
H2874
sroberts on PROD1PC70 with BILLS
HR 2874 RFS
‘‘2023. Referral and counseling services: veterans at risk of homelessness who 
are transitioning from certain institutions.’’. 
SEC. 8. PERMANENT AUTHORITY FOR DOMICILIARY SERV-
ICES FOR HOMELESS VETERANS AND EN-
HANCEMENT OF CAPACITY OF DOMICILIARY 
CARE PROGRAMS FOR FEMALE VETERANS. 
Subsection (b) of section 2043 of title 38, United 
States Code, is amended to read as follows: 
‘‘(b) ENHANCEMENT OF CAPACITY OF DOMICILIARY 
CARE PROGRAMS FOR FEMALE VETERANS.—The Sec-
retary shall take appropriate actions to ensure that the 
domiciliary care programs of the Department are ade-
quate, with respect to capacity and safety, to meet the 
needs of veterans who are women.’’. 
SEC. 9. FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE FOR SUPPORTIVE SERV-
ICES FOR VERY LOW-INCOME VETERAN FAMI-
LIES IN PERMANENT HOUSING. 
(a) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this section is to fa-
cilitate the provision of supportive services for very low- 
income veteran families in permanent housing. 
(b) AUTHORIZATION OF FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Subchapter V of chapter 20 
of title 38, United States Code, is amended by add-
ing at the end the following new section: 
VerDate Aug 31 2005 
21:43 Aug 06, 2007
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00012
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H2874.RFS
H2874
sroberts on PROD1PC70 with BILLS
HR 2874 RFS
‘‘§ 2044. Financial assistance for supportive services 
for very low-income veteran families re-
siding in permanent housing 
‘‘(a) DISTRIBUTION OF FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE.— 
‘‘(1) The Secretary shall provide financial as-
sistance to eligible entities approved under this sec-
tion to provide and coordinate the provision of the 
supportive services for very low-income veteran fami-
lies residing in permanent housing. 
‘‘(2)(A) Financial assistance under this section 
shall consist of payments for each such family for 
which an approved eligible entity provides or coordi-
nates the provision of supportive services. 
‘‘(B) The Secretary shall establish a formula 
for determining the rate of payments provided to a 
very low-income veteran family receiving supportive 
services under this section. The rate shall be ad-
justed not less than once annually to reflect changes 
in the cost of living. In calculating the payment for-
mula under this subparagraph, the Secretary may 
consider geographic cost of living variances, family 
size, and the cost of services provided. 
‘‘(3) In providing financial assistance under 
paragraph (1), the Secretary shall give preference to 
an entity that provides or coordinates the provision 
of supportive services for very low-income veteran 
VerDate Aug 31 2005 
21:43 Aug 06, 2007
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00013
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H2874.RFS
H2874
sroberts on PROD1PC70 with BILLS
HR 2874 RFS
families who are transitioning from homelessness to 
permanent housing. 
‘‘(4) The Secretary shall ensure that, to the ex-
tent practicable, financial assistance under this sub-
section is equitably distributed across geographic re-
gions, including rural communities and tribal lands. 
‘‘(5) Each entity receiving financial assistance 
under this section to provide supportive services to 
a very low-income veteran family shall notify the 
family that such services are being paid for, in whole 
or in part, by the Department. 
‘‘(6) The Secretary may require an entity re-
ceiving financial assistance under this section to sub-
mit a report to the Secretary describing the sup-
portive services provided with such financial assist-
ance. 
‘‘(b) APPLICATION FOR FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE.— 
‘‘(1) An eligible entity seeking financial assist-
ance under subsection (a) shall submit to the Sec-
retary an application in such form, in such manner, 
and containing such commitments and information 
as the Secretary determines to be necessary. 
‘‘(2) An application submitted under paragraph 
(1) shall contain— 
VerDate Aug 31 2005 
21:43 Aug 06, 2007
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00014
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H2874.RFS
H2874
sroberts on PROD1PC70 with BILLS
HR 2874 RFS
‘‘(A) a description of the supportive serv-
ices proposed to be provided by the eligible enti-
ty; 
‘‘(B) a description of the types of very low- 
income veteran families proposed to be provided 
such services; 
‘‘(C) an estimate of the number of very 
low-income veteran families proposed to be pro-
vided such services; 
‘‘(D) evidence of the experience of the eli-
gible entity in providing supportive services to 
very low-income veteran families; and 
‘‘(E) a description of the managerial ca-
pacity of the eligible entity to— 
‘‘(i) coordinate the provision of sup-
portive services with the provision of per-
manent housing, by the eligible entity or 
by other organizations; 
‘‘(ii) continuously assess the needs of 
very low-income veteran families for sup-
portive services; 
‘‘(iii) coordinate the provision of sup-
portive services with the services of the De-
partment; 
VerDate Aug 31 2005 
21:43 Aug 06, 2007
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00015
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H2874.RFS
H2874
sroberts on PROD1PC70 with BILLS
HR 2874 RFS
‘‘(iv) tailor supportive services to the 
needs of very low-income veteran families; 
and 
‘‘(v) continuously seek new sources of 
assistance to ensure the long-term provi-
sion of supportive services to very low-in-
come veteran families. 
‘‘(3) The Secretary shall establish criteria for 
the selection of eligible entities to receive financial 
assistance under this section. 
‘‘(c) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.— 
‘‘(1) The Secretary shall provide training and 
technical assistance to eligible entities that receive 
financial assistance under this section with respect 
to the planning, development, and provision of sup-
portive services to very low-income veteran families 
occupying permanent housing. 
‘‘(2) The Secretary may provide the training 
described in paragraph (1) directly or through 
grants or contracts with appropriate public or non-
profit private entities. 
‘‘(d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 
is authorized to be appropriated, for each fiscal year, 
$25,000,000, to carry out this section, of which not more 
VerDate Aug 31 2005 
21:43 Aug 06, 2007
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00016
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H2874.RFS
H2874
sroberts on PROD1PC70 with BILLS
HR 2874 RFS
than $750,000 for each fiscal year may be used to provide 
technical assistance under subsection (c). 
‘‘(e) DEFINITIONS.—For the purposes of this section: 
‘‘(1) The term ‘very low-income veteran family’ 
means a veteran family whose income does not ex-
ceed 50 percent of the median income for the area, 
as determined by the Secretary in accordance with 
this paragraph, except that— 
‘‘(A) the Secretary shall make appropriate 
adjustments to the income requirement under 
subparagraph (A) based on family size; and 
‘‘(B) the Secretary may establish an in-
come ceiling higher or lower than 50 percent of 
the median income for an area if the Secretary 
determines that such variations are necessary 
because the area has unusually high or low con-
struction costs, fair market rents (as deter-
mined under section 8 of the United States 
Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437f)), or 
family incomes. 
‘‘(C) the Secretary shall establish criteria 
for determining the need for specific supportive 
services (as defined by paragraph (8)) of indi-
vidual very low income veteran families occu-
pying permanent housing. 
VerDate Aug 31 2005 
21:43 Aug 06, 2007
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00017
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H2874.RFS
H2874
sroberts on PROD1PC70 with BILLS
HR 2874 RFS
‘‘(2) The term ‘veteran family’ includes a vet-
eran who is a single person and a family in which 
the head of household or the spouse of the head of 
household is a veteran. 
‘‘(3) The term ‘consumer cooperative’ has the 
meaning given such term in section 202 of the 
Housing Act of 1959 (12 U.S.C. 1701q). 
‘‘(4) The term ‘eligible entity’ means— 
‘‘(A) a private nonprofit organization; or 
‘‘(B) a consumer cooperative. 
‘‘(5) The term ‘homeless’ has the meaning 
given the term in section 103 of the McKinney- 
Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 11302). 
‘‘(6) The term ‘permanent housing’ means com-
munity-based housing without a designated length of 
stay. 
‘‘(7) The term ‘private nonprofit organization’ 
means— 
‘‘(A) any incorporated private institution 
or foundation— 
‘‘(i) no part of the net earnings of 
which inures to the benefit of any member, 
founder, contributor, or individual; 
‘‘(ii) which has a governing board that 
is responsible for the operation of the sup-
VerDate Aug 31 2005 
21:43 Aug 06, 2007
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00018
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H2874.RFS
H2874
sroberts on PROD1PC70 with BILLS
HR 2874 RFS
portive services provided under this sec-
tion; and 
‘‘(iii) which is approved by the Sec-
retary as to financial responsibility; 
‘‘(B) a for-profit limited partnership, the 
sole general partner of which is an organization 
meeting the requirements of clauses (i), (ii), 
and (iii) of subparagraph (A); 
‘‘(C) a corporation wholly owned and con-
trolled by an organization meeting the require-
ments of clauses (i), (ii), and (iii) of subpara-
graph (A); and 
‘‘(D) a tribally designated housing entity 
(as defined in section 4 of the Native American 
Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Act 
of 1996 (25 U.S.C. 4103)). 
‘‘(8) The term ‘supportive services’ means the 
following: 
‘‘(A) Services provided by an eligible entity 
or subcontractors that address the needs of very 
low-income veteran families occupying perma-
nent housing, including— 
‘‘(i) outreach services; 
‘‘(ii) health care services, including di-
agnosis, treatment, and counseling for 
VerDate Aug 31 2005 
21:43 Aug 06, 2007
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00019
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H2874.RFS
H2874
sroberts on PROD1PC70 with BILLS