Rep. Mike Levin Announces New Federal Policy Change to Allow More Veterans to Access Affordable Housing
Washington, D.C. – Today, Rep. Mike Levin (CA-49) announced that at his urging the Treasury Department has made a new federal policy change that will allow more veterans to access affordable housing. The Treasury Department will no longer include veterans’ service-connected disability benefits when calculating income to determine eligibility for low-income housing financed by the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC).
Prior to this change, the Treasury Department considered veterans’ service-connected disability benefits as income causing veterans to exceed the eligibility threshold for housing financed through the LIHTC. Going forward, veterans will now be able to apply for rental assistance that can be used for housing units funded by the LIHTC program.
“I’m thrilled that the Treasury Department heeded my call and made this policy change that will increase the number of veterans who qualify for rental assistance and expand access to affordable housing units funded by the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit,” said Rep. Levin. “This change will ensure that veterans’ benefits do not disqualify them from the housing assistance they deserve, making a huge difference in getting veterans off the streets and into stable, affordable housing. It’s all part of our mission to ensure that no veteran goes homeless, hungry, jobless, or without health care.”
This policy change comes shortly after Rep. Levin helped enact a similar policy change at the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). For years, Rep. Levin urged HUD to change their policy to no longer consider service-connected disability benefits as income and therefore allow more veterans to access HUD-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) vouchers. As part of that work, Rep. Levin also called for the Treasury to make the same change.
Additionally, Rep. Levin introduced the Fair Housing for Disabled Veterans Act alongside Reps. Linda Sánchez (D-CA), Jimmy Gomez (D-CA), Brad Sherman (D-CA), Salud Carbajal (D-CA), Mark Takano (D-CA), and Ted Lieu (D-CA). The bill would cement the Department of Treasury’s policy change into federal law, ensuring that it cannot be overturned by future administrations.
More information on the Department of Treasury’s policy changes can be found here.
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