[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 76 (Monday, May 18, 2015)]
[House]
[Pages H3263-H3266]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        VETERAN'S I.D. CARD ACT

  Mr. WENSTRUP. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 91) to amend title 38, United States Code, to direct the 
Secretary of Veterans Affairs to issue, upon request, veteran 
identification cards to certain veterans, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                                H.R. 91

       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 ``Veteran's I.D. Card Act''.

     SEC. 2. VETERANS IDENTIFICATION CARD.

       (a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
       (1) Currently, veteran identification cards are issued to 
     veterans who have either completed the statutory time-in-
     service requirement for retirement from the Armed Forces or 
     who have received a medical-related discharge from the Armed 
     Forces.
       (2) A veteran who has served a minimum obligated time in 
     service, but who does not meet the criteria described in 
     paragraph (1), does not receive a means of identifying the 
     veteran's status as a veteran other than using the official 
     DD-214 discharge papers of the veteran.
       (3) Goods, services, and promotional activities are often 
     offered by public and private institutions to veterans who 
     demonstrate proof of service in the military but it is 
     impractical for a veteran to always carry official DD-214 
     discharge papers to demonstrate such proof.
       (4) A general purpose veteran identification card made 
     available to a veteran who does not meet the criteria 
     described in paragraph (1) would be useful to such veteran in 
     order to demonstrate the status of the veteran without having 
     to carry and use official DD-214 discharge papers.
       (5) The Department of Veterans Affairs has the 
     infrastructure in place across the United States to produce 
     photographic identification cards and accept a small payment 
     to cover the cost of these cards.
       (b) Provision of Veteran Identification Cards.--Chapter 57 
     of title 38, United States Code, is amended by adding after 
     section 5705 the following new section:

     ``Sec. 5706. Veterans identification card

       ``(a) In General.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall 
     issue an identification card described in subsection (b) to 
     any covered veteran who--
       ``(1) requests such card;
       ``(2) was discharged from the Armed Forces under honorable 
     conditions;
       ``(3) presents a copy of the DD-214 form or other official 
     document from the official military personnel file of the 
     veteran that describes the service of the veteran; and
       ``(4) pays the fee under subsection (c)(1).
       ``(b) Identification Card.--An identification card 
     described in this subsection is a card that--
       ``(1) displays a photograph of the covered veteran;
       ``(2) displays the name of the covered veteran;
       ``(3) explains that such card is not proof of any benefits 
     to which the veteran is entitled to;
       ``(4) contains an identification number that is not a 
     social security number; and
       ``(5) serves as proof that such veteran--
       ``(A) honorably served in the Armed Forces; and
       ``(B) has a DD-214 form or other official document in the 
     official military personnel file of the veteran that 
     describes the service of the veteran.
       ``(c) Costs of Card.--(1) The Secretary shall charge a fee 
     to each veteran who receives an identification card issued 
     under this section, including a replacement identification 
     card.
       ``(2)(A) The fee charged under paragraph (1) shall equal an 
     amount that the Secretary determines is necessary to issue an 
     identification card under this section.
       ``(B) In determining the amount of the fee under 
     subparagraph (A), the Secretary shall ensure that the total 
     amount of fees collected under paragraph (1) equals an amount 
     necessary to carry out this section, including costs related 
     to any additional equipment or personnel required to carry 
     out this section.
       ``(C) The Secretary shall review and reassess the 
     determination under subparagraph (A) during each five-year 
     period in which the Secretary issues an identification card 
     under this section.
       ``(3) Amounts collected under this subsection shall be 
     deposited in an account of the Department available to carry 
     out this section. Amounts so deposited shall be--
       ``(A) merged with amounts in such account;
       ``(B) available in such amounts as may be provided in 
     appropriation Acts; and
       ``(C) subject to the same conditions and limitations as 
     amounts otherwise in such account.
       ``(d) Effect of Card on Benefits.--(1) An identification 
     card issued under this section shall not serve as proof of 
     any benefits that the veteran may be entitled to under this 
     title.
       ``(2) A covered veteran who is issued an identification 
     card under this section shall not be entitled to any benefits 
     under this title by reason of possessing such card.
       ``(e) Administrative Measures.--(1) The Secretary shall 
     ensure that any information collected or used with respect to 
     an identification card issued under this section is 
     appropriately secured.
       ``(2) The Secretary may determine any appropriate 
     procedures with respect to issuing a replacement 
     identification card.
       ``(3) In carrying out this section, the Secretary shall 
     coordinate with the National Personnel Records Center.
       ``(4) The Secretary may conduct such outreach to advertise 
     the identification card under this section as the Secretary 
     considers appropriate.
       ``(f) Construction.--This section shall not be construed to 
     affect identification cards otherwise provided by the 
     Secretary to veterans enrolled in the health care system 
     established under section 1705(a) of this title.
       ``(g) Covered Veteran Defined.--In this section, the term 
     `covered veteran' means a veteran who--
       ``(1) is not entitled to retired pay under chapter 1223 of 
     title 10; and
       ``(2) is not enrolled in the system of patient enrollment 
     under section 1705 of this title.''.
       (c) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections at the 
     beginning of such chapter is amended by inserting after the 
     item relating to section 5705 the following new item:

``5706. Veterans identification card.''.

       (d) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this Act shall 
     take effect on the date that is 60 days after the date of the 
     enactment of this Act.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Ohio (Mr. Wenstrup) and the gentlewoman from Nevada (Ms. Titus) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Ohio.


                             General Leave

  Mr. WENSTRUP. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and 
to add extraneous material on H.R. 91, as amended.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Ohio?

[[Page H3264]]

  There was no objection.
  Mr. WENSTRUP. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Thankfully, many of the Nation's businesses offer discounts to our 
servicemembers and veterans. Unfortunately, unless a servicemember is a 
qualified military retiree, the DOD does not issue an ID card as proof 
of service. That means millions of veterans cannot take advantage of 
those discounts or proudly share evidence of their honorable service. 
This bill would change that by directing the Secretary of Veterans 
Affairs to issue a veteran's ID card to any veteran who requests such 
card and who is not entitled to military retired pay nor is enrolled in 
the VA health care system.
  The bill would require the card to display the veteran's name and 
photograph, and it would serve as proof that the veteran honorably 
served in the Armed Forces. This bill would also require the Secretary 
to determine a fee to be charged that would cover all costs of 
producing the cards and of managing the program. The bill also 
specifies that the card does not entitle the holder to any VA benefits.
  I thank my colleague Mr. Buchanan for his efforts on this commonsense 
legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. TITUS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  I rise in support of H.R. 91, the Veteran's I.D. Card Act, as 
amended.
  This bill directs the Secretary to issue, upon a veteran's request, a 
veteran's identification card. In most instances, a veteran must be 
enrolled with the VA to receive a VA ID card or to utilize his or her 
DD-214 to prove military service. Many veterans are hesitant to carry 
around their DD-214s, which may contain personal health information. A 
veteran's ID card would provide those veterans with the ability to 
prove their service without the need to constantly have to produce 
official documents like their DD-214 forms.
  Issuing an optional veteran's ID card is a simple way to provide a 
reliable and convenient method for our Nation's heroes to prove their 
honorable service and veteran status.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. WENSTRUP. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from 
Florida (Mr. Buchanan).
  Mr. BUCHANAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the Veteran's 
I.D. Card Act.
  This is bipartisan legislation I have introduced which will allow all 
veterans to receive an ID card through the VA.
  Over the years, I have heard from countless veterans from Florida and 
across the country who have expressed frustration about their ability 
to document their service. This will allow them to document their 
service by getting ID cards. The ID card won't quite replace the DD-
214, but they won't have to carry around the paperwork with them if 
they are looking to use it in the future. It will also help to cut down 
on identity theft.
  One of the biggest things for veterans in our area is it will help 
with jobs and opportunities in terms of their not having to carry the 
paperwork. They will have proof of their service for their employers. 
It will also provide discounts from a lot of our businesses in the 
area. A lot of businesses offer veterans discounts, but veterans don't 
have the documentation. As a result, many times, they don't get the 
benefits. One of the biggest benefits is that there is no cost to the 
taxpayers, which is a big thing for a lot of people.
  One other thing I just wanted to mention is that many of our veterans 
have served our country proudly, and this will help validate their 
service from that standpoint.
  On behalf of the 70,000 veterans in my district, of the almost 2 
million veterans in Florida and of the 22 million veterans in the 
country, I urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan legislation to 
help our American heroes.
  Ms. TITUS. Mr. Speaker, I support H.R. 91, as amended, and I urge my 
colleagues to do the same.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. WENSTRUP. Mr. Speaker, once again, I encourage all Members to 
support this legislation, H.R. 91, as amended.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. BLUM. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 91, the 
Veteran's I.D. Card Act.
  This legislation is a commonsense proposal to permit veterans to show 
their service without hassle and inconvenience. Upon enactment, the 
bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to issue a photo 
identification card to veterans who request it. The identification card 
serves as proof of honorable military service.
  In the First District of Iowa, many of my constituents--including 
veterans of World War II, the Korean war, and Vietnam war--would 
benefit from the existence of such a card. The card would increase 
veterans' access to available military service discounts at commercial 
establishments. The Veterans I.D. Card Act, an overwhelmingly 
bipartisan bill and supported by AMVETS, Vietnam Veterans of America, 
and Veterans for Common Sense, makes proving veteran status easy, 
expedient, and credible.
  I look forward to working with my colleagues in the Senate to enact 
this commonsense legislation that assists veterans in receiving all the 
recognition and benefits they deserve.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Wenstrup) that the House suspend the rules and 
pass the bill, H.R. 91, as amended.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Mr. WENSTRUP. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further 
proceedings on this motion will be postponed.

                              {time}  1645
             VULNERABLE VETERANS HOUSING REFORM ACT OF 2015

  Mr. LUETKEMEYER. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass 
the bill (H.R. 1816) to exclude from consideration as income under the 
United States Housing Act of 1937 payments of pension made under 
section 1521 of title 38, United States Code, to veterans who are in 
need of regular aid and attendance.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 1816

       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 ``Vulnerable Veterans Housing 
     Reform Act of 2015''.

     SEC. 2. EXCLUSION FROM INCOME.

       Paragraph (4) of section 3(b) of the United States Housing 
     Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437a(b)(4)) is amended--
       (1) by striking ``and any amounts'' and inserting ``, any 
     amounts'';
       (2) by striking ``or any deferred'' and inserting ``, any 
     deferred''; and
       (3) by inserting after ``prospective monthly amounts'' the 
     following: ``, and any expenses related to aid and attendance 
     as detailed under section 1521 of title 38, United States 
     Code''.

     SEC. 3. LIMITATION ON AWARDS AND BONUSES PAID TO EMPLOYEES OF 
                   DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS.

       Section 705 of the Veterans Access, Choice, and 
     Accountability Act of 2014 (Public Law 113-146; 38 U.S.C. 703 
     note) is amended by inserting before the period at the end 
     the following ``, except that the dollar amount limitation 
     applicable under this section for each of fiscal years 2016 
     through 2020 shall be such dollar amount as reduced by 
     $10,000,000''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Missouri (Mr. Luetkemeyer) and the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. 
Carolyn B. Maloney) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Missouri.


                             General Leave

  Mr. LUETKEMEYER. I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 
legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and add 
extraneous materials on this bill.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Missouri?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. LUETKEMEYER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 3 minutes.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today to support H.R. 1816, the Vulnerable 
Veterans Housing Reform Act of 2015. I strongly urge my colleagues to 
support its passage.
  H.R. 1816, legislation that has been long championed by the gentleman 
from Nevada (Mr. Heck), is designed to help some of our Nation's 
greatest heroes, our disabled veterans, better afford the housing and 
medical care they desperately need.

[[Page H3265]]

  To do so, H.R. 1816 would change how the Department of Housing and 
Urban Development calculates a disabled veteran's income for its 
Section 8 and public housing programs by exempting their service-
related disability benefits and expenses related to in-home care. In 
other words, right now HUD is counting the aid and attendance 
disability payments of those heroes as income that could pay for 
housing, when it really should only be used to pay for their medical 
care.
  CBO has estimated there are about 2,000 veterans that would be 
impacted by this change. This legislation will ensure that we don't 
punish low-income disabled veterans who are seeking or receiving 
housing assistance simply because of the disability benefits.
  Fixing the income calculation of disabled veterans is not only a 
matter of fairness, it is also a matter of common sense. Many of these 
disabled veterans require extensive care and assistance to perform 
basic daily functions such as bathing, eating, and dressing. These aid 
and attendance payments are designed only to cover the costs of the in-
home care they require to meet those needs, and it is wrong to ask 
these veterans to use that money for any other purpose.
  The housing challenges faced by disabled veterans are great, and I 
commend Mr. Heck for his hard work to bring this issue and an 
appropriate fix for it to our attention.
  I reserve the balance of my time, Mr. Speaker.
  Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. I yield myself such time as I 
may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Heck for his leadership on this bill. As a 
former veteran, he has a deep understanding of these issues. I also 
thank Mr. Luetkemeyer, who is the chair of our Subcommittee on Housing 
and Insurance and one of our most active members on the committee, 
having served not only as a community banker, but as a community 
regulator.
  I am very pleased to rise in strong bipartisan support of H.R. 1816, 
the Vulnerable Veterans Housing Reform Act of 2015. This bill will 
bring a measure of fairness to our government's treatment of severely 
disabled veterans. The bill excludes the payments that disabled 
veterans receive for in-home aid and attendance from being considered 
as income when determining their eligibility for HUD housing 
assistance.
  Under current law, these in-home aid and attendance payments are 
wrongly counted as disposable income, which makes it harder for 
disabled veterans who receive these payments to qualify for the Federal 
housing assistance which they deserve. These payments are absolutely 
not disposable income; rather, they are payments that are medically 
necessary to enable disabled veterans to perform everyday functions, 
functions that, if not for their extraordinary sacrifice, would not 
require in-home aid payments in the first place.
  Thousands of veterans across our country are unable to qualify for 
Federal housing assistance, such as Section 8 rental assistance, 
because these payments are improperly counted as income. Let's be 
clear. These are veterans who have suffered life-changing injuries and 
who are now severely disabled as a result of their service to our 
country. It is their service and their sacrifice made in the name of 
peace and freedom that have made this the great Nation that it is 
today.
  For our great Nation to turn around and make it harder for these 
veterans because of their service-related disabilities to qualify for 
housing assistance is grossly unfair and something that should be 
swiftly rectified. That is what this bill does. It rights a wrong in 
our Federal housing policy and gives the veterans the respect and 
support that they deserve.
  I applaud my colleague, Mr. Heck, who has served this country as a 
veteran. For three times, he has brought this bill to this floor. It 
has passed on suspension three times. I really applaud his persistence 
in pursuing this commonsense fix that will help thousands of veterans 
that deserve the aid and the assistance from HUD to rightfully get it. 
I urge my colleagues to support this bill.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. LUETKEMEYER. Mr. Speaker, I now yield such time as he may consume 
to the distinguished gentleman from Nevada (Mr. Heck), the sponsor of 
the bill.
  Mr. HECK of Nevada. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from 
Missouri and the gentlewoman from New York for their support.
  I rise today to encourage my colleagues to support the bipartisan 
H.R. 1816, the Vulnerable Veterans Housing Reform Act of 2015. This 
bill would remove an unnecessary barrier that prevents our disabled 
wartime veterans from receiving the housing assistance they so 
critically need.
  This body recognized the importance of this issue when it unanimously 
passed substantially similar bills, H.R. 6361 and H.R. 1742, during the 
112th and 113th Congresses. Unfortunately, these bills were not 
considered by the Senate. I am hoping the third time is the charm.

  Quite simply, H.R. 1816 prevents the Department of Housing and Urban 
Development from considering a veteran's aid and attendance benefits as 
income when calculating their eligibility for housing assistance. The 
aid and attendance benefit is an enhanced pension provided by the 
Department of Veterans Affairs to our Nation's wartime veterans who are 
severely disabled and have little or no income.
  Veterans eligible for this benefit are those requiring the aid of 
another person in order to perform their activities of daily living, 
such as bathing, eating, adjusting prosthetic devices, or protecting 
themselves from the hazards of their daily environment.
  In order to receive this benefit, our severely disabled veterans must 
first establish their eligibility for a low-income pension, which 
requires an annual adjusted gross income of less than $12,868 for a 
single veteran with no dependents. Once eligibility is determined, low-
income disabled vets can receive roughly an additional $8,600 in aid 
and attendance benefits annually to help defray the cost of their 
medical care. This is an important point. This aid and attendance 
benefit is for medical care. It is not discretionary income; it is not 
for groceries; it is not for transportation, utilities, or anything 
else.
  As you can imagine, these low-income veterans struggle daily to keep 
the lights on, put food on the table, and keep a roof over their heads. 
Add to that the exorbitant cost of paying for a personal care 
attendant, and it becomes increasingly difficult for them to stay in 
their homes.
  The Department of Housing and Urban Development operates a number of 
programs that can assist these veterans. However, current regulations 
require that the aid and attendance benefit be counted as income when 
determining eligibility for housing assistance. Mr. Speaker, this makes 
no sense.
  The VA provides this benefit to ensure that our low-income disabled 
wartime vets have the necessary resources to receive the medical care 
they need and have earned. Now, while $8600 per year may seem like a 
substantial amount of money, it doesn't fully cover the cost of a full-
time aide but is much more cost effective than a nursing home or 
assisted living facility. The median annual cost for a licensed home 
health aide in 2014 was about $19,000. The cost of an assisted living 
facility was $42,000, and the median cost of a room in a nursing home 
is about $80,000 annually. So continuing to count the aid and 
attendance benefit as income does nothing more than to reduce the 
housing assistance available to our low-income disabled vets and 
jeopardizes their ability to live independently.
  Mr. Speaker, it is the stated goal of both this House and this 
administration to reduce homelessness in our veterans population. The 
need for this legislative fix is just as strong today as it was last 
Congress and the Congress before that. Most recent statistics from the 
Department of Housing and Urban Development indicate that approximately 
50,000 veterans are homeless, and we certainly don't want to add to 
that number.
  Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1816 will go a long way towards preventing 
additional homelessness for our Nation's veterans. I urge my colleagues 
to support this critical legislation.
  Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I have no further 
requests for time, and I yield myself the balance of my time.
  I want to underscore a point that Congressman Heck made that so many

[[Page H3266]]

of our veterans become homeless, and it is a huge problem across this 
country. By passing this bill, we will enable more veterans to stay in 
their homes and to have the respect and dignity that they deserve.
  This is a commonsense bill. It has passed this body two times before, 
almost unanimously. I hope that, as Mr. Heck said, the third time is 
the charm and that we will finally get this through the Senate. It is 
well deserved and long overdue. I urge my colleagues on both sides of 
the aisle to support this fair and commonsense proposal that will help 
our veterans.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. LUETKEMEYER. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the distinguished lady 
from New York (Mrs. Carolyn B. Maloney) for her fine work on this bill 
and for her strong support. I also want to thank the sponsor of the 
bill, the distinguished gentleman from Nevada (Mr. Heck), for again 
bringing this to our attention and again attempting to right a wrong 
here. This is certainly something we certainly need to support and will 
do. I urge all of my colleagues to support this measure.
  With that, Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Luetkemeyer) that the House suspend the 
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 1816, as amended
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                          ____________________