House Passes Vulnerable Veterans Housing Reform Act

The House of Representatives approved by voice vote the Vulnerable Veterans Housing Reform Act, H.R. 1742, on October 24. The measure, introduced by Representative Joseph Heck (R-NV), was brought directly to the floor, bypassing any committee action. It now awaits action by the Senate. The bill would exempt expenses related to a veteran’s aid and attendant pension payments from counting as income in determining eligibility and payments from HUD programs. The cost of the bill would be offset by a change to the way utility allowances are calculated for HUD-assisted housing. The change would base utility allowances on the unit the size permitted by a local public housing agency, even if the family has rented a larger unit at its own additional cost. A similar provision is included in HUD's FY14 budget request to Congress. The bill would also require the publication of utility consumption data (see Memo, 5/3).The text of H.R. 1742 is available at: http://1.usa.gov/16VMUVH