Congressman Blake Moore Joins Bipartisan Bill to Protect Disabled Veterans' Access to Affordable Housing

Congressman Blake Moore Joins Bipartisan Bill to Protect Disabled Veterans' Access to Affordable Housing

WASHINGTON - Representatives Blake Moore (R-UT), Linda T. Sánchez (D-CA), Mike Kelly (R-PA), and Jimmy Gomez (D-CA) introduced the bipartisan Fair Housing for Disabled Veterans Act to ensure that veterans' service-related disability benefits are not used to deny veterans access to affordable housing.

"As the representative of Hill Air Force Base and an active veteran community, improving servicemember housing has been a priority my entire time in Congress. Homelessness among our veteran population is unacceptable, and our veterans are more than deserving of affordable housing - especially when they are injured while serving,"Rep. Moore said."I am proud to introduce the bipartisan Fair Housing for Disabled Veterans Act with my Ways and Means colleagues to exclude service-related disability payments from the income calculation for LIHTC eligibility to ensure that our servicemembers and their families are better able to access affordable housing when they return home."

"Veterans who have sacrificed for our country shouldn't face barriers when trying to find a safe, affordable place to live," Rep. Sánchez said."Disability benefits are meant to cover the costs of injuries sustained during their service - they're not income. Our bill would ensure that veterans aren't unfairly disqualified from affordable housing, allowing them to live with the dignity they earned through their service."

"This critical legislation ensures veterans can continue to keep more of their hard-earned money and have the resources they need to purchase an affordable home,"Rep. Kelly said, chairman of the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Tax. "This legislation puts the tax code to work for those who have worn the uniform to protect our great nation."

"Our veterans are being denied access to affordable housing programs because of a flaw in IRS code that classifies their disability benefits as income. Those who served our country, and especially those who sustained a service-connected disability, should never be turned down from the ability to obtain a safe and stable home,"Rep. Gomez said. "With this bill, we're making sure veterans can access the housing support they deserve after their service and sacrifice to our country."

"VA disability compensation should never be a barrier to accessing stable housing for veterans," said Jose Ramos, vice president for government and community relations for Wounded Warrior Project."But currently, wounded warriors are penalized for injuries sustained during service to our country when their VA benefits make them ineligible to rent affordable, stable, and often higher-quality housing created through the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program. These are often our most vulnerable veterans who need both supports - their VA payments and housing assistance. WWP is grateful for the bipartisan leadership of Representatives Linda T. Sánchez and Mike Kelly in introducing the Fair Housing for Disabled Veterans Act to address this problem and help veterans across the country."

Background:

Currently, these disability benefits are considered income in calculations for the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC), often pushing disabled veterans above eligibility thresholds and potentially into homelessness. The bill would exclude service-related disability benefits from those income calculations, ensuring veterans are not denied housing assistance.

The Fair Housing for Disabled Veterans Act will amend the Internal Revenue Code to strike consideration of veterans' service-connected disability and pension payments when determining income qualifications for properties financed with LIHTC and qualified residential bonds.

Read the full bill here.