Spanberger Works to Expand VA Housing Assistance for Disabled Veterans, National Guardsmen, & Reservists

The Congresswoman Backed Bipartisan Efforts to Extend VA Home Loan Benefits to Disabled Veterans, Connect Guardsmen & Reservists with VA Housing Benefits, Help Disabled Veterans Make Their Homes More Accessible

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Representative Abigail Spanberger backed multiple bipartisan efforts to connect servicemembers and disabled Veterans with the housing support they earned in service to our country.

Virginia has the third-highest Veteran population in the United States — approximately 615,000 Veterans, more than 220,000 of whom are living with a disability. The Commonwealth is also home to approximately 130,000 active duty servicemembers and more than 24,000 National Guard and Reserve personnel. To connect more Virginians with the support they deserve for their sacrifice, Spanberger signed on to several pieces of legislation that would extend eligibility for U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) housing vouchers to more disabled Veterans, extend eligibility for VA home loan benefits to servicemembers in the U.S. National Guard and Reserves, and increase funding available for disabled Veterans to improve the accessibility of their homes.

“Virginia’s Veterans deserve our strongest support — and they deserve the ability to live with dignity in a home that meets their needs. Every American who answered the call deserves the full housing support afforded to them by law — and Congress has a responsibility to make sure that legislation we pass serves those who’ve served our country as intended,” said Spanberger. “I’m proud to join many of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle in working to connect every servicemember and Veteran with the federal housing benefits and disability assistance owed to them. These fixes would make a real difference for so many of our bravest neighbors.”

The Housing Unhoused Disabled Veterans Act would exclude VA disability payments from income when determining a Veteran’s eligibility for housing vouchers under the Housing and Urban Development-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) Program. The more severe a Veteran’s disability, the higher the disability payment amounts that Veteran receives — often rendering that Veteran ineligible for the VA-provided housing assistance they earned through their service. This bipartisan legislation is supported by Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), Disabled Veterans of America, Vietnam Veterans of America, the American Legion, and Black Veterans Empowerment Council. The Housing Unhoused Disabled Veterans Act is led in the U.S. House by U.S. Representatives Brad Sherman (D-CA-32) and Monica De La Cruz (R-TX-15).

The Spanberger-backed Expanding Home Loans for Guard and Reservists Act would close an unintended loophole excluding many members of the National Guard and Reserve Forces from accessing the VA home loan benefits afforded to other U.S. servicemembers. VA home loans enable eligible buyers to purchase a home with no money down. In 2020, the Johnny Isakson and David P. Roe, M.D. Veterans Health Care and Benefits Improvement Act was signed into law to extend eligibility for the VA home loan program to guardsmen and reservists who perform full-time National Guard duties. Since then, these servicemembers identified an unintended gap in the law that fails to fully incorporate time spent in active-duty training toward time served. The bipartisan legislation is led in the U.S. House by U.S. Representatives Jen Kiggans (R-VA-02) and Army Veteran Pat Ryan (D-NY-19).

The bipartisan Autonomy for Disabled Veterans Act would increase the amount of funding available to disabled Veterans for improvements and structural alterations related to their disability provided to them by the VA. Eligible projects under this funding must be required by medical necessity — including adaptations for wheelchairs, medical equipment, and improving accessibility throughout the Veteran’s home through the addition of ramps or railings. Specifically, this legislation increases the maximum amount authorized under the Home Improvements and Structural Alternations (HISA) grant program to $10,000 for Veterans with a service-connected disability and $5,000 for those with disabilities that are not service connected. This legislation is supported by Paralyzed Veterans for America. The Autonomy for Disabled Veterans Act is led in the U.S. House by U.S. Representatives Don Bacon (R-NE-02) and Chris Pappas (D-NH-01).

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