Preserving Our Commitment to Homeless Veterans Act
Bill: S.2321 | Sponsor: Sen. Rubio, Marco (R-FL)
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
Preserving Our Commitment to Homeless Veterans Act
This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to provide case management support to local housing authorities under the VA-supported housing program. The program assists veterans who are homeless and their families in finding and sustaining permanent housing.

To amend title 38, United States Code, to require the Secretary of 
 Veterans Affairs to ensure that the supported housing program of the 
 Department of Veterans Affairs has not fewer than one program manager 
for every 35 rental assistance cases under such program, and for other 
                               purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Preserving Our Commitment to 
Homeless Veterans Act''.

SEC. 2. STAFFING OF PROGRAM MANAGERS FOR SUPPORTED HOUSING PROGRAM OF 
              DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS.

    (a) Staffing.--Section 2003(b) of title 38, United States Code, is 
amended--
            (1) by inserting ``(1)'' before ``The Secretary''; and
            (2) by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
    ``(2) The Secretary shall provide case management support whenever 
requested by a local housing authority under the program described in 
paragraph (1).
    ``(3)(A) Except as provided in subparagraph (B), the Secretary 
shall ensure that in each fiscal year no case manager is concurrently 
assigned to more than 35 veterans under this subsection.
    ``(B) The Secretary may waive the requirement of subparagraph (A) 
for a particular case manager in a particular fiscal year as the 
Secretary considers appropriate.
    ``(C) Not less frequently than once each fiscal year, the Secretary 
shall submit to Congress a report on the waivers made by the Secretary 
under subparagraph (B) in the previous fiscal year. Each report shall 
include a description of the circumstances under which each waiver was 
made.
    ``(4) The Secretary shall ensure that each veteran to whom a case 
manager is assigned under this subsection is located within such 
distance of the case manager as the Secretary considers reasonable.
    ``(5)(A) In any case in which a position within the Veterans Health 
Administration for a case manager described in paragraph (1) is vacant 
for a period of 180 days or more, the Secretary shall seek to enter 
into a contract with a local service provider with knowledge and 
expertise applicable to a case manager in such position to furnish the 
case management services that would otherwise be provided by a case 
manager in such position.
    ``(B) The requirement in subparagraph (A) to seek to enter into a 
contract shall cease to apply if the Secretary fills the vacancy 
referred to in such subparagraph.''.
    (b) Limitation on Conversion of Funds.--The Secretary of Veterans 
Affairs may not convert any of the amounts appropriated or otherwise 
made available in a fiscal year to carry out section 8(o)(19) of the 
United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437f(o)(19)) from a 
specific purpose program to a general purpose program unless the 
Secretary included a proposal to do so in the budget justification 
materials submitted to Congress in support of the Department of 
Veterans Affairs budget for such fiscal year (as submitted with the 
budget of the President for such fiscal year under section 1105(a) of 
title 31, United States Code).
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