Housing our Military Veterans Effectively Act of 2023

IIB 118TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. R. 3848 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES DECEMBER 6, 2023 Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs AN ACT To make certain improvements in the laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs relating to homeless- ness, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:32 Dec 06, 2023 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3848.RFS H3848 2 HR 3848 RFS SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 1 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Housing our Military 2 Veterans Effectively Act of 2023’’ or the ‘‘HOME Act of 3 2023’’. 4 SEC. 2. PER DIEM PAYMENTS PROVIDED BY THE SEC- 5 RETARY OF VETERANS AFFAIRS FOR SERV- 6 ICES FURNISHED TO HOMELESS VETERANS. 7 Section 2012 of title 38, United States Code, is 8 amended— 9 (1) in subsection (a)— 10 (A) in paragraph (2)(B)— 11 (i) in clause (i)(II)(aa)(BB), by strik- 12 ing ‘‘115 percent’’ and inserting ‘‘133 per- 13 cent’’; and 14 (ii) by adding at the end the fol- 15 lowing: 16 ‘‘(iii) During each of fiscal years 2024 through 2026, 17 the Secretary may waive the maximum rate for per diem 18 payments under clause (i)(II)(aa)(BB) or (ii) and, subject 19 to the availability of appropriations, provide such pay- 20 ments at a rate that does not exceed 200 percent of the 21 rate authorized for State homes for domiciliary care under 22 subsection (a)(1)(A) of section 1741 of this title, as the 23 Secretary may increase from time to time under sub- 24 section (c) of that section if the Secretary notifies Con- 25 gress of such waiver. 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:32 Dec 06, 2023 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3848.RFS H3848 3 HR 3848 RFS ‘‘(iv) The Secretary may not, pursuant to clause (iii), 1 waive the maximum rate described in such clause for more 2 than 50 percent of all grant recipients and eligible entities 3 in a fiscal year.’’; and 4 (B) by adding at the end the following new 5 paragraph: 6 ‘‘(4) The Secretary may not provide more than 7 12,000 per diem payments under this section in a fiscal 8 year.’’; and 9 (2) by adding at the end the following new sub- 10 section: 11 ‘‘(f) REPORTS REQUIRED.—Not later than 90 days 12 after the date of the enactment of the HOME Act of 2023, 13 and not less frequently than twice each year thereafter, 14 the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Veterans’ 15 Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on Veterans’ Af- 16 fairs of the House of Representatives a report on the rate 17 for per diem payments under this section that includes, 18 for each Veterans Integrated Service Network of the De- 19 partment, the following data: 20 ‘‘(1) The average rate for such a payment. 21 ‘‘(2) A list of locations where the rate for such 22 a payment is within 10 percent of the maximum rate 23 for such a payment authorized under this section. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:32 Dec 06, 2023 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3848.RFS H3848 4 HR 3848 RFS ‘‘(3) The average length of stay by a veteran 1 participating in a program described in section 2 2012(a) of this title.’’. 3 SEC. 3. AUTHORIZATION FOR SECRETARY OF VETERANS 4 AFFAIRS TO USE OF CERTAIN FUNDS FOR IM- 5 PROVED FLEXIBILITY IN ASSISTANCE TO 6 HOMELESS VETERANS. 7 (a) USE OF FUNDS.—The Secretary of Veterans Af- 8 fairs may use amounts appropriated or otherwise made 9 available to the Department of Veterans Affairs to carry 10 out section 2011, 2012, 2031, or 2061 of title 38, United 11 States Code, to provide to a covered veteran, as the Sec- 12 retary determines necessary— 13 (1) food, shelter, clothing, blankets, and hy- 14 giene items required for the safety and survival of 15 the veteran; 16 (2) transportation required to support the sta- 17 bility and health of the veteran for appointments 18 with service providers, the conduct of housing 19 searches, and the obtainment of food and supplies; 20 and 21 (3) tablets, smartphones, disposable phones, 22 and related service plans required to support the 23 stability and health of the veteran through the main- 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:32 Dec 06, 2023 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3848.RFS H3848 5 HR 3848 RFS tenance of contact with service providers, prospective 1 landlords, and family members. 2 (b) HOMELESS VETERANS ON DEPARTMENT OF VET- 3 ERANS AFFAIRS LAND.— 4 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may collabo- 5 rate, to the extent practicable, with one or more or- 6 ganizations to manage the use of land of the Depart- 7 ment of Veterans Affairs for homeless veterans for 8 living and sleeping. 9 (2) FORMS OF COLLABORATION.—Collaboration 10 under paragraph (1) may include the provision by ei- 11 ther the Secretary or the head of the organization 12 concerned of food services and security for property, 13 buildings, and other facilities owned or controlled by 14 the Department of Veterans Affairs. 15 (c) REPORT REQUIRED.—Not later than six months 16 after the date of the enactment of this Act, and every six 17 months thereafter until the date specified in subsection 18 (d), the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report that 19 includes, with respect to the period covered by such re- 20 port— 21 (1) a statement, disaggregated by each medical 22 center of the Department of Veterans Affairs, of the 23 amount of funds under this section— 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:32 Dec 06, 2023 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3848.RFS H3848 6 HR 3848 RFS (A) each such medical center requested 1 from the Secretary; and 2 (B) to which the Secretary provided each 3 such medical center; 4 (2) data, disaggregated by each such medical 5 center, relating to how each such medical center 6 used amounts provided by the Secretary under this 7 section; 8 (3) the number of covered veterans to which the 9 Secretary provided assistance under this section; 10 (4) the total amount of assistance the Secretary 11 provided to covered veterans pursuant to subsection 12 (a)(3) for communications equipment, broken down 13 by the type of equipment provided; 14 (5) the total amount of assistance the Secretary 15 provided covered veterans pursuant to subsection 16 (a)(2) for ridesharing; 17 (6) the number of covered veterans who re- 18 ceived such assistance; and 19 (7) a description, for each rideshare used by a 20 covered veteran with such assistance, of the reasons 21 such covered veteran used such rideshare. 22 (8) the number of covered veterans who lived or 23 slept on Department land; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:32 Dec 06, 2023 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3848.RFS H3848 7 HR 3848 RFS (9) the amount of funds used to make available 1 Department land for covered veterans to live and 2 sleep; 3 (10) the number of Department employees 4 whose primary responsibilities involved providing 5 services for covered veterans living or sleeping on 6 Department land; 7 (11) the average length of time a covered vet- 8 eran lived or slept on Department land, and 9 (12) the period of time the Secretary expects 10 Department land will be made available for covered 11 veterans to live and sleep. 12 (d) SUNSET.—The authority under this section shall 13 terminate on September 30, 2024. 14 (e) DEFINITIONS.—In this section, the term ‘‘covered 15 veteran’’ means— 16 (1) a homeless veteran; and 17 (2) a veteran participating in the program car- 18 ried out under section 8(o)(19) of the United States 19 Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437f(o)(19)). 20 SEC. 4. MODIFICATION OF CERTAIN HOUSING LOAN FEES. 21 The loan fee table in section 3729(b)(2) of title 38, 22 United States Code, is amended by striking ‘‘November 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:32 Dec 06, 2023 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3848.RFS H3848 8 HR 3848 RFS 14, 2031’’ each place it appears and inserting ‘‘May 18, 1 2032’’. 2 Passed the House of Representatives December 5, 2023. Attest: KEVIN F. MCCUMBER, Clerk. VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:32 Dec 06, 2023 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3848.RFS H3848