WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump recently signed into law the Honoring American Veterans in Extreme Need Act, which was introduced by Rep. Lucy McBath (Ga. 6).
The HAVEN Act, or H.R. 2938, was co-led by Rep. Greg Steube (R-Fla.). The legislation amends bankruptcy law to grant disabled veterans greater eligibility for relief during financial hardship.
“Veterans should never be penalized for the injuries they sustained in service to our country,” McBath said. “I introduced this bill because our disabled veterans have earned their benefits, and it’s our duty to stand up for them if they fall on tough times.”
The HAVEN Act amends bankruptcy law to treat Department of Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense veterans’ disability payments the same as Social Security disability benefits, which are exempt from bankruptcy means testing. This legislation removes this unequal treatment of disability payments made to veterans or their dependents.
“I’m proud that this Congress was able to work together across the aisle to support our veterans,” McBath said. “Thanks to the hard work of my colleagues in the House and the Senate, these protections are now law. I hope we can continue to work together to make positive change, and I look forward to taking more bipartisan action with the Senate and the president to stand up for those who served, safeguard veterans and their families and provide commonsense solutions for all Americans.”