SEC. 2. SERVICE CONNECTED DISABILITY COMPENSATION.
Section 102(a)(20) of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 (42 U.S.C. 5302(a)(20)) is amended by adding at the end the following:
“(C) Service-connected disability compensation.—When determining whether a person is a person of low and moderate income, a person of low income, or a person of moderate income under this paragraph, a State, unit of general local government, or Indian tribe shall exclude any service-connected disability compensation received by such person from the Department of Veterans Affairs.”
SEC. 3. REPORT.
The Comptroller General of the United States shall, not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act, submit to the Congress a report that—
(1) examines how service-connected disability compensation is treated for the purposes of determining eligibility for all programs administered by the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development;
(2) identifies any instances where service-connected disability compensation is treated in a manner inconsistent with the amendment made by section 2; and
(3) with respect to each program administered by the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development in which service-connected disability compensation is treated inconsistently, provides legislative recommendations relating to how such program could better serve veteran populations, and under-served communities.
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If you live in a declared disaster area and have experienced damage to your home or personal property, you may be eligible for financial assistance from SBA — even if you do not own a business. As a homeowner, renter, or personal property owner, you may apply to SBA for a loan to help you recover from a disaster.
Eligibility
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Homeowners may apply for up to $500,000 to replace or repair their primary residence.
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Renters and homeowners may borrow up to $100,000 to replace or repair personal property — such as clothing, furniture, cars, and appliances — damaged or destroyed in a disaster.
- Secondary homes or vacation properties are not eligible for these loans. However, qualified rental properties may be eligible for assistance under SBA's business physical disaster loan program.
- These loans cover disaster losses not fully covered by insurance or other sources. Proceeds from insurance coverage on home or property may be deducted from the eligible loan amount.
Use of proceeds
- You may not use the funds to upgrade homes or make additions, unless required by the local building code.
- You may be eligible for up to a 20% loan amount increase above the real estate damage, as verified by SBA, for improvements that will help prevent risk of future property damage.
- SBA can refinance all or part of a previous mortgage in some cases, when the applicant does not have credit available elsewhere and has suffered substantial disaster damage.
HOMEOWNERSHIP RESOURCES
Four (4) of the six (6) states in Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN) 20 (Alaska, California, Montana, and Oregon) provide home loan benefits for military Veterans. VISN 20 State Department of Veterans Affairs providing Veterans home loan benefits and emergency financial assistance.
 If you’re behind and missed mortgage payments, on your mortgage payments, contact a VA loan technician at 1-877-827-3702 or the servicer of your mortgage to get help.
VA home loan limits are the same as the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) limits. These are called conforming loan limits and loans above this amount are known as jumbo loans. Since 2008, various legislative acts increased the conforming loan limit values in certain high-cost areas in the United States. While some of the legislative initiatives established temporary limit values for loans originated in select time periods, a permanent formula was established under the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 (HERA). The 2026 conforming loan limit values have been set under the HERA formula.
The VA home loan benefit helps Veterans, Servicemembers, and eligible surviving spouses become homeowners. VA Home Loans allow financing up to 100% of a primary home purchase with no mortgage insurance and no prepayment penalty. VA-guaranteed home loans are made by private lenders, such as credit unions, mortgage companies, savings and loans, and banks. The VA guaranty means the lender is protected against loss if the borrowing veteran fails to repay the loan. To be eligible, requirements include a valid Certificate of Eligibility (COE), sufficient income, and satisfactory credit.
VA Home Loan Circular 26-25-10 Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) Announces 2026 Conforming Loan Limits - December 1, 2025
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 Main pillars of the VA home loan benefit:
- No downpayment required
- Competitively low interest rates
- Limited closing costs
- No need for Private Mortgage Insurance (PMI)
- The VA home loan is a lifetime benefit: you can use the guaranty multiple times
Lenders offer competitive mortgage interest rates on VA-backed purchase loans. VA offers these three main types of guaranteed home loan benefits:
- Purchase Loans
- Cash-Out Refinance Loans
- Interest Rate Reduction Refinance Loans (IRRRL)
VA home loan programs may be used to obtain single-family homes, new home construction, manufactured homes and lots, condominiums; or refinance an existing home loan; or install energy-saving improvements.
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As a member of the FDIC Money Smart Alliance, NW MIRECC helps promote financial capability to strengthen the financial education efforts of Veterans, Servicemembers, and their families. First released in 2001 and regularly updated since then, FDIC Money Smart has a long track record of success in reducing stress and improving financial readiness of Veterans. NW MIRECC started with the FDIC Money Smart program through the 'Helping Veterans #GetBanked and Manage Their Money' training program. The training program provided resources to Veterans Service Organizations, VA special Outreach Program Coordinators, and others who provide direct services to U.S. Veterans and have a direct interest in increasing Veterans’ financial capability.
Credit reports may affect your mortgage rates, credit card approvals, apartment requests, or even your job application. The only official site explicitly directed by Federal law to provide free online credit reports from Equifax, Experian and TransUnion.
Credit reports play an important role in your financial life and we encourage you to regularly check your credit history. Make sure that you recognize the information on your credit report including your personally identifiable information, such as names, addresses, Social Security Number, accounts and loans. Then check that the other information on your credit report is accurate and complete. If you find information that you believe does not belong to you or is not correct, contact the business that issued the account or the credit reporting company that issued the report.
In this episode of the DAV Podcast, host Jonathan Kaupanger dives into the “Sudoku from Hell”—the VA’s complex Schedule for Rating Disabilities—to help veterans and their families make sense of “VA Math.” Joined by Andrew Clark, DAV’s Assistant National Service Director, the discussion pulls back the curtain on the Combined Ratings Table and the “whole person theory,” explaining why multiple disability ratings don’t always add up to the 100% veterans might expect. From navigating the frustrations of diminishing returns to identifying “clear and unmistakable errors” and filing for secondary conditions, this episode provides essential insights and practical advice on how DAV service officers can help you secure the benefits you’ve earned.
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In 2025, President Trump Signed Landmark VA Home Loan Program Reform Act into Law
This bill authorizes VA to take certain actions in cases of default on home loans under the VA home loan program and establishes a partial claim program.
First, the bill authorizes the VA to pay the holder of a loan guaranteed by the VA an amount necessary to avoid the foreclosure of the loan, provided that the holder of the loan and the Veteran obligated on the loan execute documents to ensure the VA obtains a secured interest in the property covered by the loan.
The VA must prescribe loss mitigation procedures to help prevent the foreclosure of such a home loan. The VA may not take specified administrative actions (e.g., consent to the modification of loan terms) until the sequence of mitigation options has been completed.
Next, the bill establishes a five-year Partial Claim Program under which the VA may make a partial claim (purchase a portion of the indebtedness) on VA loans for primary residences that are in default or at imminent risk of default.
Individuals who default on loans for which the VA has made a partial claim under this program must be liable to the VA for any loss resulting from the default.
Finally, the VA must report to Congress on its strategy to ensure that Veterans who purchase homes under the VA home loan program are not at a disadvantage when attempting to secure representation by a real estate agent or broker.
VA's NW MIRECC serves to improve the mental health and well-being of Veterans through research and dissemination of information to providers both within VA and the general public. VHA continually evolves and cultivates ongoing cutting-edge medical research and innovation to improve the lives of America’s patriots. VA's Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN) 20 serves Alaska, Washington, Oregon, most of Idaho, and one county each in Montana and California. Operating across three time zones over 817,417 square miles, VISN 20 is home to 273 federally recognized American Indian and Alaskan Native tribes. Spanning 23% of US land mass, VISN 20 is the largest geographic region of VA. NW MIRECC brings together complementary research, education, and clinical programs from VA Puget Sound (VAPSHCS) and the VA Portland Health Care System (VAPORHCS). The collaborative approach to mental health research, education and treatment has had a profound impact on the lives of Veterans.
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VAPSHCS and VAPORHCS were commissioned by Congress and the VA as one of the first three MIRECCs in the United States. The mission of NW MIRECC is to improve the quality of life and function of Veterans by developing, evaluating, and promoting the implementation of effective treatments for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and its complex comorbidities. PTSD comorbidities include the behavioral consequences of repetitive blast mild Traumatic Brain Injury (mTBI), Substance Use Disorder (SUD), chronic pain (in particular, post-concussive headaches), cognitive impairment, and increased risk for neurodegenerative disorders (chronic traumatic encephalopathy [CTE] and Alzheimer’s disease [AD]). VA MIRECC's provide for the improvement of the provision of health-care services and related counseling services to eligible veterans suffering from mental illness (especially mental illness related to service-related conditions) through—
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- the conduct of research (including research on improving mental health service facilities of the Department and on improving the delivery of mental health services by the Department);
- the education and training of health care personnel of the Department; and
- the development of improved models and systems for the furnishing of mental health services by the Department.
As part of the VISN 20 NW MIRECC mission to enhance access to mental health expertise, the NW MIRECC collaborates and consults with other MIRECCs and Centers of Excellence, as well as with other VA, Department of Defense (DoD), Federal, State departments of Veterans Affairs, community agencies, and experts. The close geographic proximity (40 miles) of DoD Joint Base Lewis-McChord/Madigan Army Medical Center to VAPSHCS has provided an exciting opportunity to develop innovative and productive research, education, and clinical care collaborations with DoD personnel that address PTSD and its associated conditions in their early stages in active-duty Servicemembers.
VA ranks as one of the nation's leaders in health research. Every year, thousands of research studies are conducted at VA medical centers, outpatient clinics, and nursing homes. For example, the VA has:
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- Developed artificial limbs that allow amputees to have more independence and better quality of life
- Invented the cardiac pacemaker
- Performed the first successful liver transplantation
- Developed the nicotine patch to help people stop smoking
- Played a major role in the development of the CT/CAT scan to view the inside of the body
- Tested new drugs and treatments for diseases such as AIDS, Diabetes, Alzheimer's and Osteoporosis
NW MIRECC research studies significantly contribute to advancements in our understanding of medical problems that lead to health improvements for Veterans and civilians alike. Research studies at NW MIRECC are currently enrolling Military Veterans, First Responders, Health Care workers, and Civilians in Seattle, Washington.
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