“A bill to establish a rental assistance program for low-income veteran families, and for other purposes.”
No CRS summary available for this bill.
This section establishes a low-income veteran rental assistance program under the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher program (i.e., new subsection (o)(23) of the U.S. Housing Act of 1937). (As background, the Housing Choice Voucher program provides tenant-based rental assistance to help low-income families afford privately owned housing.) The program entitles qualified veteran families to assistance, with income eligibility thresholds for initial qualification phasing in as follows: (1) FY2026, no higher than 50% of the extremely low-income limit; (2) FY2027, no higher than 75% of that limit; (3) FY2028, extremely low-income; (4) FY2029, very low-income; and (5) FY2030 and thereafter, low-income. Continuing eligibility extends to previously assisted veteran families with incomes up to 100% of area median income; Department of Veterans Affairs disability benefits are excluded from income calculations. A veteran family includes a single veteran, a family with a veteran as head of household or spouse, or veterans living together; "veteran" means a member of the Armed Forces (as defined in 10 U.S.C. §101(a)(4)) excluding those with a dishonorable discharge or court-martial dismissal (with possible waivers). Public housing agencies (PHAs) must accept applications from and promptly assist qualified veteran families, provide information on veteran services, and refer certain families to the existing VA-supported housing program (paragraph (19)); assistance is separately administered from the Moving to Work demonstration and excluded from income targeting requirements. Additional provisions include (1) a prohibition on owners of five or more rental units refusing to lease to holders of these vouchers; (2) an electronic veteran status verification process; (3) Secretary of Housing and Urban Development designation of administering PHAs where needed, including tribally designated housing entities; and (4) a transition rule exempting existing veteran voucher holders from eligibility redetermination. (Thus, the program guarantees priority access for qualifying veterans while preserving separate VA-supported housing vouchers.)