LAS VEGAS, NV – Today, U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV) attended multiple Veterans Day events in southern Nevada, celebrating members of our nation’s armed forces. During the events, Senator Rosen also announced her plans to immediately introduce two new bipartisan pieces of legislation to support veterans and current servicemembers with reforms to the GI Bill, as well as legislation that works to expand access to affordable housing by ensuring that veterans and servicemembers are aware of the home loan financing options that they are entitled to, including the VA home loan.
“I want to thank the more than 225,000 veterans living in Nevada for their courage and their service to our country,” said Senator Rosen. “We owe our veterans an endless debt of gratitude. I’m working on introducing two bipartisan bills that would improve the lives of veterans by providing servicemembers more choices over their future benefits through the GI Bill, as well as improving access to affordable housing through the VA home loan programs.”
BACKGROUND: Senator Rosen’s forthcoming bipartisan GI Bill Planning Act of 2019, which she will be introducing with Senator John Barrasso (R-WY), would allow military enlistees additional time to pick their preferred GI Bill education benefits plan, instead of having to do so at arrival at Basic Combat Training, which is an intentionally chaotic environment with little opportunity for recruits to make an informed decision about their future. This legislation is endorsed by Student Veterans of America, VFW, The American Legion, and Veterans Education Success.
Senator Rosen’s forthcoming bipartisan Access to Affordable Housing for Veterans Act, which she will be introducing with Senator Pat Roberts (R-KS), would ensure that veterans are proactively made aware of their VA home loan options, including providing them information about whether or not such an option is more affordable than a conventional loan. It would do this by amending the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) existing Informed Consumer Choice Disclosure Notice to require information about the VA home loan, side-by-side with information about the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) insured loan and conventional loan options, if the consumer is a veteran. Currently, the Informed Consumer Choice Disclosure Notice that prospective veteran-borrowers receive from lenders does not provide a cost comparison for the VA home loan, which is a unique option for eligible veterans that is often their most affordable choice.
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