WASHINGTON – The U.S. House of Representatives approved Arizona senior Senator Kyrsten Sinema’s bipartisan legislation to expand Specially Adaptive Housing eligibility for wounded veterans. The Paul Benne Specially Adaptive Housing Improvement Act—which Sinema introduced with with Republican Senator Jerry Moran (Kan.)—passed the Senate earlier this year and now heads to the President’s desk to be signed into law.
“Many veterans carry wounds from military service that make everyday life more challenging. Our bipartisan bill breaks down barriers to help veterans access the specially adaptive housing benefits they’ve earned—and its passage shows what we can accomplish when we put aside politics and focus on getting results for America’s veterans,” said Sinema, a member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee.
“The Specially Adapted Housing Improvement Act of 2019 will improve the quality of life for many wounded warriors and their families by helping ensure their homes fit their abilities,” said Wounded Warrior Project CEO Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Mike Linnington. “We are grateful to Sen. Jerry Moran for sponsoring this bill and to Sen. Kyrsten Sinema for co-sponsoring, and we thank them both for their leadership and great fidelity to our nation’s wounded warriors.”
“Wounded warriors face unique challenges in recovering from their injuries,” said former U.S. Army Capt. Ryan Kules, director of Wounded Warrior Project’s Combat Stress Recovery Program. “The Specially Adapted Housing benefit has helped me tremendously, and renewing this benefit every 10 years will help ensure wounded veterans’ homes can be adapted as our needs change throughout our lives.”
Currently, the number of specially adaptive housing grants offered by the VA for wounded veterans is limited and capped at a certain amount. Thanks to modern medical advancements, fewer servicemembers are dying in the line of fire, but veterans are returning home with life-changing disabilities that evolve and change over time.
The bipartisan Specially Adaptive Housing Improvement Act expands the number of grants available, increases the capped costs on each grant, and allows veterans to use grants more than once, ensuring wounded veterans continue having their homes work for their current conditions.
