[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1947 Introduced in Senate (IS)]








109th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1947

    To amend chapter 21 of title 38, United States Code, to enhance 
           adaptive housing assistance for disabled veterans.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            November 1, 2005

  Mr. Sununu (for himself, Mr. Durbin, Mr. Vitter, Mr. Kerry, and Mr. 
Pryor) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred 
                 to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To amend chapter 21 of title 38, United States Code, to enhance 
           adaptive housing assistance for disabled veterans.

    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 ``Specially Adapted Housing Grants 
Improvements Act of 2005''.

SEC. 2. ADAPTIVE HOUSING ASSISTANCE FOR DISABLED VETERANS RESIDING 
              TEMPORARILY IN HOUSING OWNED BY A FAMILY MEMBER.

    (a) Assistance Authorized.--Chapter 21 of title 38, United States 
Code, is amended by inserting after section 2102 the following new 
section:
``Sec. 2102A. Assistance for veterans residing temporarily in housing 
              owned by a family member
    ``(a) Assistance Authorized.--If a disabled veteran described in 
subsection (a)(2) or (b)(2) of section 2101 of this title resides, but 
does not intend to permanently reside, in a residence owned by a member 
of such veteran's family, the Secretary may assist the veteran in 
acquiring such adaptations to such residence as are determined by the 
Secretary to be reasonably necessary because of the veteran's 
disability.
    ``(b) Limitation on Amount of Assistance.--Subject to section 
2102(d) of this title, the assistance authorized under subsection (a) 
may not exceed--
            ``(1) $10,000, in the case of a veteran described in 
        section 2101(a)(2) of this title; or
            ``(2) $2,000, in the case of a veteran described in section 
        2101(b)(2) of this title.
    ``(c) Limitation on Number of Residences Subject to Assistance.--A 
veteran eligible for assistance authorized under subsection (a) may 
only be provided such assistance with respect to 1 residence.
    ``(d) Regulations.--Assistance under this section shall be provided 
in accordance with such regulations as the Secretary may prescribe.
    ``(e) Termination of Authority.--The authority to provide 
assistance under subsection (a) shall expire at the end of the 5-year 
period beginning on the date of enactment of the Specially Adapted 
Housing Grants Improvements Act of 2005.''.
    (b) Limitations on Adaptive Housing Assistance.--Section 2102 of 
such title is amended--
            (1) in subsection (a), by striking ``The assistance 
        authorized by section 2101(a)'' and all that follows through 
        ``any one case--'' and inserting ``Subject to subsection (d), 
        the assistance authorized under section 2101(a) of this title 
        shall be afforded under 1 of the following plans, at the 
        election of the veteran--'';
            (2) by amending subsection (b) to read as follows:
    ``(b) Subject to subsection (d), and except as provided in section 
2104(b) of this title, the assistance authorized by section 2101(b) of 
this title may not exceed the actual cost, or in the case of a veteran 
acquiring a residence already adapted with special features, the fair 
market value, of the adaptations determined by the Secretary under such 
section 2101(b) to be reasonably necessary.''; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following new subsection:
    ``(d)(1) The aggregate amount of assistance available to a veteran 
under sections 2101(a) and 2102A of this title shall be limited to 
$50,000.
    ``(2) The aggregate amount of assistance available to a veteran 
under sections 2101(b) and 2102A of this title shall be limited to the 
lesser of--
            ``(A) the sum of the cost or fair market value described in 
        section 2102(b) of this title and the actual cost of acquiring 
        the adaptations described in subsection (a); and
            ``(B) $10,000.
    ``(3) No veteran may receive more than 3 grants of assistance under 
this chapter.''.
    (c) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections at the beginning of 
such chapter of such title is amended by inserting after the item 
relating to section 2102 the following:

``2102A. Assistance for veterans residing temporarily in housing owned 
                            by family member.''.

SEC. 3. GAO REPORTS.

    (a) Interim Report.--Not later than 3 years after the date of 
enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States 
shall submit to Congress an interim report on the implementation of 
section 2102A of title 38, United States Code (as added by section 
2(a)), by the Department of Veterans Affairs.
    (b) Final Report.--Not later than 5 years after the date of 
enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States 
shall submit to Congress a final report on the implementation of such 
section 2102A by the Department of Veterans Affairs.
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