Washington, D.C. – Today, the House of Representatives passed the Dependable Employment and Living Improvements for Veterans’ Economic Recovery (DELIVER) Act, legislation led by Rep. Mike Levin (D-CA) that includes six bipartisan bills he introduced to strengthen and expand services for homeless and unemployed veterans. The legislation will allow the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to provide more services for homeless veterans, improve and expand eligibility for the HUD-VA Supportive Housing program, create a rapid retraining program for unemployed veterans, improve the Transition Assistance Program (TAP) for servicemembers returning to civilian life, and more. A section-by-section summary of the bill is available here.
“Now more than ever, veterans are struggling to find jobs and secure housing, and we must do more to help them get back on their feet,” said Rep. Levin, Chair of the House Veterans’ Affairs Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity. “I have seen veterans and their families in my district lining up for food, heard from veterans who couldn’t access desperately-needed housing resources, and met with former servicemembers who struggled to start new careers despite services that should’ve been there for them. No veteran should go hungry, homeless, or jobless. I am proud to lead the DELIVER Act so that we can do right by our veterans and provide the housing and employment opportunities they deserve. I’ve had positive conversations with my colleagues in the Senate and I am hopeful that this legislation will receive a vote and arrive on the President’s desk this year.”
The DELIVER Act includes six bills introduced by Rep. Levin:
H.R. 7105, Homeless Veteran Coronavirus Response Act (Introduced with Rep. Bilirakis, R-FL)
The bill allows VA to use existing funds for a wider range of services; authorizes the Department to collaborate with outside organizations to facilitate shelters on its properties; loosens restrictions on Grant and Per Diem (GPD) payments; and requires VA to ensure veterans participating in VA homeless programs have access to VA telehealth services.
H.R. 2924, Housing for Women Veterans Act (Introduced with Rep. Fitzpatrick, R-PA)
The bill requires VA to complete an analysis of its programs that provide assistance to women veterans who are homeless or precariously housed to identify the areas in which such programs are failing to meet their needs, and submit a report to Congress.
H.R. 8275, Reducing Veteran Homelessness Act (Introduced with Rep. McCarthy, R-CA)
The bill ensures that homeless veterans and their families receive the resources and services they deserve by filling gaps in HUD-VA Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) case management, increasing payments to organizations that house homeless veterans, and reimbursing those organizations for fees to access local Homeless Management Information Systems so they can better track outcomes of homeless veterans.
H.R. 2398, Veteran HOUSE Act (Introduced with Rep. Peters, D-CA)
The bill expands the Department of Housing and Urban Development-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) program to ensure chronically homeless veterans discharged under conditions other-than-honorable (OTH), but not dishonorable, are eligible for HUD-VASH housing vouchers and supportive case management.
H.R. 7111, Veterans Economic Recovery Act (Introduced with Rep. Roe, R-TN)
The centerpiece of the bill is the creation of a rapid retraining program to provide unemployed veterans and reservists with 12 months of educational benefits to pursue training in high-demand occupations. The education benefits available under the rapid retraining program would be equivalent to the benefits provided under the Post-9/11 GI Bill.
H.R. 2326, Navy SEAL Chief Petty Officer William “Bill” Mulder (Ret.) Transition Improvement Act of 2019 (Introduced with Rep. Arrington, R-TX)
The bipartisan bill, first introduced by Representative Arrington in the 115th Congress, would create a pilot program for off-base transition training to make the transition process easier for veterans and spouses by giving them more time to access resources and digest the information provided to them, all while living in their new community. The legislation would also create a grant program for organizations to provide multiple transition assistance services such as resume assistance, interview training, and job recruitment training from a central source.
The DELIVER Act also includes:
H.R. 3749, Legal Services for Homeless Veterans Act (Rep. Panetta, D-CA)
H.R. 5766, VET TEC Expansion Act (Reps. McCarthy, R-CA and Khanna, D-CA)
H.R. 95, Homeless Veteran Families Act (Rep. Brownley, D-CA)
