Title: To amend title 38, United States Code, to authorize the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to furnish assistance for adaptations of residences of veterans in rehabilitation programs under chapter 31 of such title, and for other purposes.
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
This bill authorizes the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to assist a veteran with a service-connected disability who is in the vocational rehabilitation and employment program to acquire necessary residential adaptations. Such assistance may not be provided if it would result in a duplication of benefits.
The aggregate amount of assistance available to a veteran may not exceed $77,307. The VA may waive this limitation if necessary for a veteran's rehabilitation program. The VA shall: (1) increase assistance limits annually, and (2) submit a biennial report on the use of such waiver authority.
The VA is not required to provide mortgage life insurance to an individual under the age of 70 with a service-connected disability who receives adaptive residential assistance under this bill.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3562 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3562

 To amend title 38, United States Code, to authorize the Secretary of 
Veterans Affairs to furnish assistance for adaptations of residences of 
veterans in rehabilitation programs under chapter 31 of such title, and 
                          for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 28, 2017

Mr. Arrington (for himself, Mr. O'Rourke, Miss Gonzalez-Colon of Puerto 
 Rico, and Mr. Dunn) introduced the following bill; which was referred 
                 to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend title 38, United States Code, to authorize the Secretary of 
Veterans Affairs to furnish assistance for adaptations of residences of 
veterans in rehabilitation programs under chapter 31 of such title, 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. IMPROVEMENTS TO AUTHORITIES FOR PROVISION OF ASSISTANCE FOR 
              ADAPTATIONS OF RESIDENCES OF VETERANS IN REHABILITATION 
              PROGRAMS.

    (a) In General.--Chapter 21 of title 38, United States Code, is 
amended by inserting after section 2102A the following new section:
``Sec. 2102B. Adaptations to residences of veterans in rehabilitation 
              programs
    ``(a) In General.--Subject to subsections (b) and (c), the 
Secretary may assist a veteran who is entitled to services and 
assistance under chapter 31 of this title and is pursuing a 
rehabilitation program under such chapter in acquiring such adaptations 
to such veteran's residence as are determined necessary by the 
Secretary to accomplish the purposes of such rehabilitation program.
    ``(b) Amount.--(1) The aggregate amount of assistance available to 
a veteran under subsection (a) may not exceed $77,307. The Secretary 
may waive this limitation for a veteran if the Secretary determines a 
waiver is necessary for the rehabilitation program of the veteran.
    ``(2) Effective on October 1 of each year (beginning in 2017), the 
Secretary shall increase the amount described in paragraph (1) by the 
percentage calculated under section 2102(e)(2) of this title.
    ``(3) Beginning on October 1, 2019, the Secretary shall submit to 
the Committees on Veterans' Affairs of the Senate and House of 
Representatives a biennial report on the use of the waiver authority 
under paragraph (1).
    ``(c) Regulations.--The Secretary shall prescribe such regulations 
as may be necessary to carry out this section.
    ``(d) Rehabilitation Program Defined.--In this section, the term 
`rehabilitation program' has the meaning given such term in section 
3101 of this title.''.
    (b) Regulations.--The Secretary may provide assistance under 
section 2102B of such title, as added by subsection (a), in advance of 
regulations by issuing notice specifying the criteria for the 
application, approval, and oversight processes relating to the 
provision of assistance under such section.
    (c) Conforming Amendments.--
            (1) Scope of services and assistance for training and 
        rehabilitation.--Section 3104 of such title is amended by 
        adding at the end the following new subsection:
    ``(d) The Secretary may not assist a veteran in acquiring 
adaptations to the residence of the veteran under this chapter. Any 
such assistance may be furnished only under section 2102B of this 
title.''.
            (2) Members of the armed forces residing outside the united 
        states.--Section 2101A of such title is amended--
                    (A) by redesignating subsection (c) as subsection 
                (d); and
                    (B) by inserting after subsection (b) the following 
                new subsection (c):
    ``(c) Limitation.--Notwithstanding subsections (a) and (b), this 
section shall not apply to the provision of assistance under section 
2102B of this title.''.
            (3) Benefits additional to benefits under other laws.--
        Section 2104 of such title is amended--
                    (A) in subsection (a), by striking ``; however'' 
                and all that follows through ``once'';
                    (B) in subsection (b), by striking the second 
                sentence; and
                    (C) by adding at the end the following new 
                subsection:
    ``(c) The Secretary may not provide assistance to a veteran under 
this chapter if the Secretary determines such assistance would result 
in a duplication of benefits under this title to the veteran.''.
            (4) Exception to mandatory life insurance.--Section 2106(a) 
        of such title is amended to read as follows:
    ``(a) The Secretary shall insure any individual under 70 years of 
age who has received assistance under this chapter against the death of 
the individual except for an individual who--
            ``(1) elects in writing to not receive insurance under this 
        section;
            ``(2) fails to respond in a timely manner to a request from 
        the Secretary for information on which the premium for such 
        insurance can be based; or
            ``(3) receives such assistance under section 2102B of this 
        title.''.
    (d) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections at the beginning of 
chapter 21 of such title is amended by inserting after the item 
relating to section 2102A the following new item:

``2102B. Adaptations to residences of veterans in rehabilitation 
                            programs.''.
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