Title: Veteran Housing Opportunities and Unemployment Support Extension Act of 2019
Policy area: Housing and Community Development

Summary:
Veteran Housing Opportunities and Unemployment Support Extension Act of 2019
This bill expands eligibility for the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Veterans Affairs-Supported Housing (VASH) rental voucher assistance to homeless veterans honorably discharged or released from active military, naval, or air service regardless of length of service. According to federal regulations, HUD was granted authority in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2008 to waive or provide an alternative for the current requirement that HUD-VASH assistance be targeted to homeless veterans who have chronic mental illnesses or chronic substance-use disorders.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2061 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 2061

  To amend the United States Housing Act of 1937 and title 38, United 
States Code, to expand eligibility for the HUD-VASH program, to direct 
   the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to submit annual reports to the 
      Committees on Veterans' Affairs of the Senate and House of 
  Representatives regarding homeless veterans, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              July 9, 2019

  Mr. Tester (for himself, Mr. Young, and Mr. Murphy) introduced the 
 following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on 
                  Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To amend the United States Housing Act of 1937 and title 38, United 
States Code, to expand eligibility for the HUD-VASH program, to direct 
   the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to submit annual reports to the 
      Committees on Veterans' Affairs of the Senate and House of 
  Representatives regarding homeless veterans, 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 ``Veteran Housing Opportunities and 
Unemployment Support Extension Act of 2019''.

SEC. 2. EXPANSION OF ELIGIBILITY FOR HUD-VASH.

    (a) HUD Provisions.--Section 8(o)(19) of the United States Housing 
Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437f(o)(19)) is amended by adding at the end 
the following new subparagraph:
                    ``(D) Veteran defined.--In this paragraph, the term 
                `veteran' has the meaning given that term in section 
                2002(b) of title 38, United States Code.''.
    (b) VHA Case Managers.--Subsection (b) of section 2003 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) In the case of vouchers provided under the HUD-VASH program 
under section 8(o)(19) of such Act, for purposes of paragraph (1), the 
term `veteran' shall have the meaning given such term in section 
2002(b) of this title.''.
    (c) Annual Reports on Homelessness Services Provided by Department 
of Veterans Affairs.--
            (1) In general.--Not less frequently than once each year, 
        the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall submit to the Committee 
        on Veterans' Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on 
        Veterans' Affairs of the House of Representatives a report on 
        the homelessness services provided under programs of the 
        Department of Veterans Affairs, including services under HUD-
        VASH program under section 8(o)(1) of the United States Housing 
        Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437f(o)(19)).
            (2) Included information.--Each such annual report shall 
        include, with respect to the year preceding the submittal of 
        the report, a statement of the number of eligible individuals 
        who were furnished such homelessness services and the number of 
        individuals furnished such services under each such program, 
        disaggregated by the number of men who received such services 
        and the number of women who received such services, and such 
        other information as the Secretary considers appropriate.
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