Day Testifies In Support Of Providing Affordable Housing For Disabled Veterans

A release from the office of State Representative Michael Day:

State Representative Michael S. Day recently testified before the Joint Committee on Housing in support of his bipartisan bill H.3008, An Act relative to low-income housing eligibility for disabled Veterans. Winchester

resident Harry McCrensky and members of the Disabled American Veterans of Massachusetts, The American
Legion, and the American Military Retirees Association all testified in support of Representative Day’s
legislation.

“This bill would provide important support to those who have served this nation so honorably and now suffer
from a disability related to that service,” said Representative Day. “Those who have served and who are now
struggling daily with financial challenges should not have their disability payments, in effect, counted against
them for housing assistance purposes.”

There are currently nearly 60,000 veterans in Massachusetts who qualify for some level of service-related
disability relief. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts consistently ranks highest in the nation for providing
these individuals and other veterans with government assistance. For example, our veterans receive a tax
exemption on the purchase of property and waitlist priority for affordable housing in addition to other
assistance. However, because of what Representative Day believes to be a loophole in state affordable housing
laws, some disabled veterans are disqualified for consideration for affordable housing because the disability
payments they receive are counted as ordinary income and push them above the low-income threshold. Those
who qualify under the existing income threshold are required to pay 30 percent of their income, including
portions of their disability payments, toward their affordable housing. Representative Day states that this
essentially creates a tax on disabled veterans in government housing even though federal law prohibits taxation of veterans’ disability benefits. His legislation seeks to address this problem by exempting this disability payment from the income thresholds used to determine eligibility for low-income housing.

“I believe the relief provided in this legislation will enable our disabled veterans to meet their housing needs
while also coping with the disabilities they sustained while serving our country,” said Representative Day. “I
appreciate all those who came to the State House to support this legislation, especially the passion and advocacy of Mr. McCrensky, who first alerted me to this issue and worked with me on the legislation. I look forward to continuing to advocate for its passage as the bill moves forward in the legislative process.”

The bill now awaits a formal recommendation by the Joint Committee on Housing. Full text of H.3008 can be
read here.

Courtesy Photo of Michael Day and Harry McCrensky