The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has announced it will award $806.4 million in grants to support homeless and at-risk Veterans through the Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) and Homeless Providers Grant and Per Diem (GPD) programs.

1. Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF): Through the SSVF program, the VA is awarding 239 grants totaling approximately $797.5 million to community organizations that help rapidly rehouse Veterans and their families, prevent the imminent loss of Veterans’ homes, or identify more suitable housing situations.
2. Grant and Per Diem Program (GPD): Through the GPD program, the VA will award 14 grants totaling approximately $8.9 million to community organizations that provide Veterans with transitional housing and case management services. This includes connecting eligible Veterans to VA benefits, community-based services, and permanent housing. These special needs grants will fund approximately 105 transitional housing beds to support specific populations of homeless Veterans, including women, elderly, terminally ill, chronically mentally ill, or those who care for minor dependents.

Ending Veteran homelessness is a top priority for the VA and the Biden-Harris Administration. The number of Veterans experiencing homelessness fell by 4.5% between 2020 and 2023 and has dropped 52% overall since 2010. These grants build upon significant progress toward ending Veteran homelessness, including VA’s fiscal year 2024 goal to house 41,000 more homeless Veterans. In 2023, the VA placed more than 46,500 homeless Veterans into permanent housing, exceeding the 2023 goal by nearly 23%.

“We’re making real progress in reducing Veteran homelessness, but there is much more work to do,” said VA Secretary Denis McDonough. “These grants allow the VA and the entire Biden-Harris Administration, alongside community partners, to provide more housing and wraparound services to more homeless and at-risk Veterans than ever before.”

These efforts are built upon the evidence-based “Housing First” approach, which prioritizes housing Veterans first, followed by providing them the wraparound support needed to stay housed, including health care, job training, legal and education assistance, and more.

These new grant awards come just a week after the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the VA announced policy changes that will help more Veterans receive housing assistance under the HUD-VA Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) program. The changes include requiring public housing agencies that administer HUD-VASH to set initial income eligibility at 80% of the area median income and excluding Veterans’ disability benefits when determining income eligibility — both of which are expected to increase the number of Veterans eligible for housing assistance.

For more information about the VA’s comprehensive efforts to end Veteran homelessness, visit VA.gov/homeless. To learn more about the Grant and Per Diem program or view the full list of grantees, visit the Grant and Per Diem website. To learn more about the Supportive Services for Veteran Families program or view the full list of grantees, visit the Supportive Services for Veteran Families website.

Source: VA News

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has announced several measures to expand access to VA benefits for Veterans who served at Karshi-Khanabad (K2) base in Uzbekistan after September 11, 2001, and their survivors. These initiatives include:

1. Presumptive Condition for Chronic Multi-Symptom Illness: The VA plans to classify Veterans who served in Uzbekistan as Persian Gulf Veterans. This change would make undiagnosed illnesses and medically unexplained chronic multi-symptom illnesses (also known as Gulf War Illness) presumptive conditions for K2 Veterans. This adjustment will reduce the burden of proof required for these Veterans to receive benefits.
2. Recognition of Toxic Exposure Risk Activities (TERAs) at K2: The VA intends to acknowledge that K2 Veterans were exposed to several contaminants, such as jet fuel, volatile organic compounds, particulate matter, asbestos roofing tiles, and lead-based paint. The VA is collaborating with the Department of Defense to conduct further research to identify additional exposures.
3. Comprehensive Consideration of Toxic Exposures in Claims Processing: The VA will ensure that toxic exposures are thoroughly considered when processing claims from K2 Veterans. Information and training about service at K2, including a list of contaminants Veterans were exposed to, will be provided to all claims processors and examiners. This ensures that each K2 Veteran’s exposure history is taken into account during disability claims processing.
4. Pre-Decisional Review of K2 Claims: Before a decision is made on a K2 Veteran’s claim, it will undergo an additional review to confirm that all relevant information, including exposures, has been considered and that all eligible benefits have been granted. This review will apply to original claims for conditions potentially linked to exposures (e.g., it would not apply to claims for unrelated injuries like a knee injury).

Additionally, all Veterans who served at K2 and meet basic eligibility requirements are already eligible to enroll in VA health care, providing access to world-class, low-cost care for all health conditions without needing to apply for disability compensation first. These Veterans are also eligible for presumptive benefits for over 300 conditions covered by the PACT Act, meaning they do not need to prove that their service caused their condition to receive benefits. The VA automatically assumes service connection for the condition and provides benefits accordingly.

Looking ahead, the VA will continue to explore additional ways to support K2 Veterans and their survivors. The VA encourages all Veterans who served at K2 to apply for VA care and benefits by visiting VA.gov or calling 1-800-MYVA411.

“At VA, our goal is to provide every Veteran who served at K2 with the care and benefits that they deserve for their service to our nation — and that’s what this effort is all about,” said VA’s Under Secretary for Benefits Josh Jacobs. “In addition to these important steps forward, we want all Veterans who served at K2 to know that they are currently eligible both to enroll in VA health care (without first applying for VA benefits) and for presumptive benefits for the more than 300 health conditions under the PACT Act. We encourage these Veterans — and their survivors — to apply for VA care and benefits by visiting VA.gov or calling 1-800-MYVA411. We will do everything in our power to get to yes and get you the care and benefits you deserve.”

The VA is conducting extensive outreach to K2 Veterans and their survivors to ensure they receive the care and benefits they have earned. Due in part to these efforts, 13,002 K2 Veterans out of the approximately 16,000 known K2 Veterans are currently enrolled in VA healthcare, and 11,801 are service-connected for at least one condition.

Source: VA News