Senator Banks, Duckworth Introduce the Health Care for Homeless Veterans Act

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Yesterday,Senators Jim Banks (R-Ind.) and Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) introduced the Health Care for Homeless Veterans Act. The bill would permanently codify VA's authority for the Health Care for Homeless Veterans program, which provides outreach, treatment, rehabilitation services, case management, and permanent housing. This would eliminate the need to continually reauthorize the authority and prevent it from ever expiring again.

Senator Jim Banks (R-Ind.): "Every veteran who served this country deserves a roof over their head. This bill makes sure the VA can always help homeless veterans get the support they have earned without the program being at risk of expiring."

Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.): "Our nation must do everything possible to ensure that our heroes living without a home can access the health care they've earned through their service-and it's unacceptable that Congress has yet to make VA's Health Care for Homeless Veterans program permanent. We are all dishonored when any Veteran is forced to lay their head down to sleep on the same streets they once defended. The VA has a responsibility to steadily provide them with the care they need, which is why we're introducing bipartisan legislation to permanently codify this vital program into law."

Key Provisions of the Health Care for Homeless Veterans Act:

• Make VA's authority at 38 U.S. Code § 2031 permanent to care for veterans suffering from serious mental illness or who are homeless.

Background:

Veterans struggle with homelessness and mental illness at higher rates than other Americans. Roughly 10% of veterans experience homelessness at some point in their lives, and 31% of veterans receiving care from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) have at least one confirmed mental health condition.

To address this problem, Congress granted VA authority in 1997 to treat, rehabilitate, and house veterans experiencing homelessness and serious mental illness. VA used this authority to establish the Health Care for Homeless Veterans program. Under the program, VA provides short-term case management and conducts street outreach to homeless veterans and connects them with treatment, rehabilitation services, and permanent housing.

Congress has repeatedly extended this authority in one or two-year increments, but during the fall 2025 government shutdown VA's authority to operate the Health Care for Homeless Veterans program expired. Short-term extensions and the risk of expiration undermine this program's stability and efficacy.

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