# Home for the Brave Act of 2025

This bill makes a straightforward change to how the government calculates whether veterans and their families qualify for federal housing assistance. Right now, when the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) determines if someone is eligible for programs like public housing or rental vouchers, it counts all their income—including disability payments from the Veterans Affairs department. This bill says that VA disability payments should no longer count as income for these housing programs.

Here's what this means in practical terms: A veteran receiving disability compensation from the VA because of a service-related injury, or a surviving spouse receiving dependency and indemnity compensation, will have that money excluded when HUD calculates their income level. This affects three things. First, it makes it easier for veterans and their families to qualify for housing assistance in the first place, since their counted income will be lower. Second, if they do qualify, they may receive higher benefits because the calculation is based on less income. Third, if they're already in a program where rent is based on their income level, their rent payments could go down because the VA disability payments won't be counted.

The practical impact is that veterans with service-related disabilities and their families will have better access to affordable housing programs and may pay less rent if they're already receiving housing assistance. This applies to all HUD housing programs, including public housing, voucher programs, and other rental assistance. The bill essentially recognizes that disability compensation is meant to help veterans with injuries or illnesses from their service, and shouldn't be used against them when they're trying to access housing support.