HR 224 · 119th CongressEnacted

Disabled Veterans Housing Support Act

Latest updateJan 20, 2026

Became Public Law No: 119-70.

Housing and Community Development

Sponsor

Monica De La Cruz

Introduced

January 7, 2025

Latest action

January 20, 2026

Legislative Progress

How far this bill has traveled through Congress

Introduced

Bill filed in chamber

Committee

Reviewed & reported

Passed Chamber

House or Senate vote

Passed Both

House & Senate agree

President

Sent to White House

Enacted

Signed into law

Introduced

Bill filed in chamber

Committee

Reviewed & reported

Passed Chamber

House or Senate vote

Passed Both

House & Senate agree

President

Sent to White House

Enacted

Signed into law

Latest Action

Became Public Law No: 119-70.

Plain-Language Summary

AI Generated

Under the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974, states, local governments, and Indian tribes use income thresholds to determine eligibility for federal housing assistance programs. Currently, when calculating whether someone qualifies as low-income or moderate-income, these entities count all sources of income, including service-connected disability compensation paid by the Department of Veterans Affairs. This means disabled veterans receiving VA disability payments may be deemed ineligible for housing assistance programs because their total income exceeds program limits, even though much of that income is specifically designated to compensate for service-related injuries rather than general earning capacity.

The Disabled Veterans Housing Support Act amends section 102(a)(20) of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 to require states, units of local government, and Indian tribes to exclude service-connected disability compensation from income calculations when determining eligibility for low-income and moderate-income housing programs. This change means that when assessing whether a disabled veteran qualifies for federal housing assistance, administrators must disregard VA disability payments and count only other income sources. The Department of Veterans Affairs compensation remains excluded regardless of the amount or the veteran's other financial circumstances.

The Government Accountability Office must submit a report to Congress within one year examining how service-connected disability compensation is treated across all Department of Housing and Urban Development programs. The report will identify any inconsistencies between the new exclusion requirement and existing HUD program rules, then recommend legislative changes to align other HUD programs with this veteran-focused approach. These recommendations aim to ensure disabled veterans receive consistent treatment across federal housing assistance initiatives and improve access to housing support for veteran populations and underserved communities.

Key Provisions

1Requires states, local governments, and Indian tribes to exclude service-connected disability compensation from income calculations when determining eligibility for low-income and moderate-income housing assistance programs under the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974.
2Directs the Government Accountability Office to examine within one year how service-connected disability compensation is treated across all Department of Housing and Urban Development programs and identify inconsistencies with the new exclusion requirement.
3Requires the Government Accountability Office report to provide legislative recommendations for aligning other HUD programs with the veteran-focused exclusion and improving housing assistance access for veteran populations and underserved communities.

★ Why this matters

Disabled veterans currently may lose eligibility for federal housing assistance because their service-connected disability payments push their counted income above program thresholds. This bill removes that barrier by excluding VA disability compensation from income calculations, allowing more disabled veterans to qualify for housing support. The Government Accountability Office review will identify similar income-counting problems across other HUD programs and recommend fixes, potentially expanding housing access for veterans across multiple federal initiatives.

● Who this affects

Disabled veterans receiving service-connected compensation from the Department of Veterans Affairs are most directly impacted, particularly those with moderate disability ratings seeking federal housing assistance. State housing agencies, local governments, and Indian tribes administering housing programs will need to update income verification procedures. The Department of Housing and Urban Development and its regional offices will implement the new exclusion requirement and may face program changes based on the Government Accountability Office recommendations. Low-income veterans and underserved communities competing for limited housing assistance resources will see shifts in program eligibility and access.

Bill Text

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H.R.224

                     One Hundred Nineteenth Congress

                                 of the

                        United States of America

                          AT THE SECOND SESSION

          Begun and held at the City of Washington on Saturday,
          the third day of January, two thousand and twenty-six

                                 An Act

 
To amend section 102(a)(20) of the Housing and Community Development Act 
    of 1974 to require the exclusion of service-connected disability 
 compensation when determining whether a person is a person of low and 
moderate income, a person of low income, or a person of moderate income, 
                         and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
    This Act may be cited as the ``Disabled Veterans Housing Support 
Act''.
SEC. 2. SERVICE CONNECTED DISABILITY COMPENSATION.
    Section 102(a)(20) of the Housing and Community Development Act of 
1974 (42 U.S.C. 5302(a)(20)) is amended by adding at the end the 
following:
        ``(C) Service-connected disability compensation.--When 
    determining whether a person is a person of low and moderate 
    income, a person of low income, or a person of moderate income 
    under this paragraph, a State, unit of general local government, or 
    Indian tribe shall exclude any service-connected disability 
    compensation received by such person from the Department of 
    Veterans Affairs.''.
SEC. 3. REPORT.
    The Comptroller General of the United States shall, not later than 
1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act, submit to the 
Congress a report that--
        (1) examines how service-connected disability compensation is 
    treated for the purposes of determining eligibility for all 
    programs administered by the Secretary of Housing and Urban 
    Development;
        (2) identifies any instances where service-connected disability 
    compensation is treated in a manner inconsistent with the amendment 
    made by section 2; and
        (3) with respect to each program administered by the Secretary 
    of Housing and Urban Development in which service-connected 
    disability compensation is treated inconsistently, provides 
    legislative recommendations relating to how such program could 
    better serve veteran populations, and under-served communities.

                               Speaker of the House of Representatives.

                            Vice President of the United States and    
                                               President of the Senate.

Auto-Whip

Where House representatives currently stand

Built from official statements, public releases, and voting records where they exist. Members without enough evidence are marked as no position.

448 tracked

Support

444

No Position

Oppose

Support

Members whose public record points toward backing the bill.

Brendan Boyle

D-Pennsylvania · District 2

Likely support

While there is no explicit statement about the Disabled Veterans Housing Support Act on the provided website content, several factors suggest possible support: (1) Boyle has a dedicated 'Veterans' issue section on his website, indicating engagement with veteran-related policies; (2) He demonstrates a pattern of advocating for housing and community support programs, as evidenced by his work securing federal funding for housing-related initiatives in Kensington and his opposition to housing funding cuts; (3) He is a Democrat from Pennsylvania's 2nd District, and Democrats generally support veteran support legislation; (4) His track record shows proactive engagement in securing federal resources for vulnerable populations. However, confidence is moderate rather than high because there is no direct evidence of his specific stance on this particular bill in the public record.

Disabled Veterans Housing Support Act

Legislative Progress

Plain-Language Summary

Key Provisions

★ Why this matters

● Who this affects

Bill Text

Where House representatives currently stand

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Disabled Veterans Housing Support Act

Legislative Progress

Plain-Language Summary

Key Provisions

★ Why this matters

● Who this affects

Bill Text

Where House representatives currently stand

Support

Opposition

No Position

Party Positions

Democratic Party

Republican Party

Take Action

Active Organizations