Sponsors (47)
The bill helps veterans by excluding VA disability from HUD income calculations—reducing rent burdens and improving eligibility—while narrowing that help to certain new units and increasing program costs, administrative burdens, and potential resource shifts that could affect taxpayers and non-veteran low-income renters.
Veterans who receive VA disability benefits will have that income excluded when HUD calculates rent and eligibility for certain assisted housing, meaning many assisted veterans will pay less rent and have improved access to housing assistance.
Low-income veterans may qualify for subsidized rent in HUD units on Department property built after enactment, directly reducing housing cost burdens for those who occupy new units.
Households receiving Section 8(o)(19) rental assistance will not have VA disability benefits counted when determining eligibility for other housing programs, improving access to additional housing help for assisted households.
Excluding VA disability from income calculations will modestly increase HUD program costs and thus raise the fiscal burden on taxpayers.
The benefit is limited to new units on Department property constructed after enactment, so many veterans in existing HUD-assisted housing will not see any help.
A parenthetical caveat ("may not apply to the definition of adjusted income") creates legal ambiguity that could produce inconsistent application across agencies and delay tenant determinations.
Based on analysis of 3 sections of legislative text.
Excludes VA disability benefits under title 38 from HUD income calculations for certain Section 8 supported housing tenants and for HUD units on VA property built after enactment.
Official title: To amend section 3(b)(4) of the United States Housing Act of 1937 to exclude certain disability benefits from income for the purposes of determining eligibility for the supported housing program under section 8(o)(19), and for other purposes.
Introduced February 4, 2025 by Brad Sherman · Last progress February 11, 2025
Excludes VA disability payments and other title 38 disability benefits from being counted as income when calculating rent or eligibility for certain HUD-supported housing programs for veterans. It applies to tenants in the Section 8(o)(19) supported housing program and to HUD-administered rental units built on Department of Veterans Affairs property on or after the bill’s enactment.