CONGRESSMAN PAT RYAN'S BILL "THE EXPANDING HOME LOANS FOR GUARD AND RESRVISTS ACT" PASSES THE HOUSE

Congressman Pat Ryan’s Bill “The Expanding Home Loans for Guard and Reservists Act” Passes the House 

Just three weeks after swearing in, Ryan passes first bill through the House to make home loans more accessible to service members

WASHINGTON, D.C. –  Today, Congressman Pat Ryan’s “Expanding Home Loans for Guard and Reservists Act” passed the House on a bipartisan vote. 

"As housing costs in Upstate New York and across the country continue to rise, we need to make sure we are doing more to make housing more affordable, especially for those who have served,” said Representative Pat Ryan. “I’m proud that the first bill I passed is one that will make a difference for the brave men and women who serve our country. By extending VA home loans to more Members of the National Guard and Reserve, we send a clear message: Whether deployed  across the globe or called to active service in communities across America, our service members have earned our support. And as long as I am in office, I will work to ensure every person who serves our country honorably receives that proper dignity and security.”

“This legislation makes a technical, but not insignificant, fix to ensure each day in uniform counts for benefit eligibility and guarantees our servicemembers they’ll be treated fairly and receive the same benefits as active duty forces,” said Representative Mark Takano (D-CA), Chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee. “One of the most valuable benefits veterans earn is the VA home loan benefit, which can provide them a head start in their transition into civilian life. I thank Rep. Ryan, our newest member from New York, for taking up this issue and making veterans a priority.”

"In today's world, our National Guard and Reserve units are often called up to defend our nation overseas, making the same sacrifices as our regular Armed Forces,” said Tommy Zurhellen, Former Commander, VFW Post 170 and Founder of VetZero, a veteran service program in Poughkeepsie. “This bill is a great step towards making sure we recognize those sacrifices made by our brave men and women who serve our nation in local Guard and Reserve units across America."

"Congressman Ryan is keeping faith with his fellow veterans by ensuring that those who have served get equal access to the benefits they have earned,” said Army Reserve Officer and Kingston resident Malia Du Mont. “In the midst of a growing housing crisis across the nation and here in the district, the timing could not be better to expand access to VA loan programs for service members and veterans."

BACKGROUND

In H.R. 7105, The Johnny Isakson and David P. Roe, M.D. Veterans Health Care and Benefits Improvement Act of 2020 [signed into law Jan 5, 2020, PL 116-315], Congress expanded the VA Home Loan eligibility to National Guard service members who perform “full-time National Guard duty” for at least 90 days, of which 30 are consecutive.

Since that law was enacted, Guard and Reservists have identified a gap whereby National Guard service members conducting Active Duty for training or entering into the National Guard in a longer training pipeline like Special Forces, Aviation, or linguistics are being denied VA home loans. These Guard and Reservists conduct initial entry training on a Title 10 duty status, which then gets extended, and they stay Title 10 instead of going to Title 32. 

Not having VA Home Loan eligibility is a huge disadvantage for these service members. Rep. Ryan’s bill expands eligibility for VA housing loans to the U.S. National Guard Members who have been called to active duty under Title 10 Active Duty status.

Read the full text of the “Expanding Home Loans for Guard and Reservists Act” here.