S.2061: Veteran Housing Opportunities and Unemployment Support Extension Act of 2019

The Veteran HOUSE Act (S. 2061) would increase the number of veterans who are eligible for the HUD VA Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) program, which provides rental assistance to homeless veterans and their families as well as coordinating health care, counseling, and other services for veterans who receive rental support under the program.

Current law requires veterans to be eligible for VA medical benefits to qualify for a HUD-VASH voucher. This requirement excludes many veterans with “other than honorable” (OTH) discharges. According to the Defense Department, approximately 7,700 service members are discharged OTH each year, which makes up approximately 10% of the homeless veteran population. This bill would allow OTH discharged veterans to participate in the HUD-VASH program

CBO estimates that about 1,300 veterans would eventually receive benefits if the bill were enacted, with around 3,900 vouchers becoming available annually to newly eligible veterans over five years at an average cost of $11,700 per voucher.

H.R. 2398 is the House companion bill. That bill passed the House on January 13, 2020, in of vote of 362-31.