However, a significant number of veterans with those issues are expected  to be helped within the program’s target population of veterans  experiencing chronic homelessness. That they are eligible for VA health care. That they are willing to participate in case management services that  are intended to promote housing stability and link the veteran to  needed clinical services. However, no members of   Except for a sex offender provision, HUD-VASH  the veteran household can be subject to a lifetime registration  requirement under a state registration program for sex offenders. VAMC staff submit Dashboard reports to  their respective Veterans Integrated Service Networks (VISN), which in   VA officials told  turn submit facility-level reports to the national center.us that VA implemented a new data collection system, the Homeless  Operations Management and Evaluation System (HOMES), in April 2011,  and VA is in the process of fully implementing reporting mechanisms  required to generate reports based on HOMES data.information for several of VA’s homeless programs, including HUD-VASH. HUD-VASH Eligibility Is Determined at the Local Level

According to VA and HUD, the departments rely on VAMCs and PHAs to  make determinations on veteran eligibility for the HUD-VASH program. As previously noted, VA refers veterans who meet its requirements for  HUD-VASH to PHAs, subject to voucher availability. Income: PHA staff told us that they generally relied on third-party  sources, such as the Social Security or Veterans Benefits  administrations, to verify the reported income of HUD-VASH  applicants. Both VA and HUD Have Been Taking Steps to Address Data Reliability

		VA Provides the Primary Data for HUD-VASH Reporting

Both VA and HUD report on HUD-VASH using information from VA’s  Dashboard database. VA Has Taken a Number of Steps to Help Ensure Data Reliability

VA has taken a number of steps to help ensure the reliability of HUD- VASH data reported though the Dashboard database. As of June 2012, the information-sharing  agreement was under review. HUD-VASH Data Show the Program Has Moved Veterans into Housing

		HUD-VASH Performance

Information VA reports for the HUD-VASH program has focused on  voucher utilization (such as the number of veterans housed), but HOMES  is supposed to provide VA with additional data on veteran outcomes. Nearly 31,200 veterans lived in HUD-VASH-supported  housing as of March 28, 2012; veterans in housing represented about 83  percent of the vouchers authorized under the program. According to VA, the department’s goal is for  veterans in housing to represent at least 88 percent of authorized HUD- VASH vouchers by September 30, 2012. VA data show  that both VAMCs had assigned 100 percent of their authorized vouchers  to a veteran as of March 2012. Identifying housing for veterans. In April 2012, HUD released a best practices document that included  practices submitted by PHAs and VAMCs that administer HUD-VASH. Similarly, several PHAs had established a loan fund or  trust fund to assist veterans with move-in costs, and one PHA applied for  county Community Development Block Grant funds to assist veterans  with security and utility deposits. In their responses, HUD, VA, and the Interagency Council  generally agreed with our conclusions. GAO staff who made major contributions to this  report are listed in Appendix V.

Appendix I: Objectives, Scope, and Methodology

Our objectives were to examine (1) how the Department of Veterans  Affairs (VA) and the Department of Housing and Urban Development  (HUD) determine that veterans who participate in the HUD-VA Supportive  Housing (HUD-VASH) program meet the statutory eligibility criteria, (2)  what data VA and HUD collect and report on the HUD-VASH program  and the steps that VA and HUD take to help ensure the reliability of these  data, and (3) what is known about the performance of the HUD-VASH  program. We selected a purposive, non- representative sample of 10 locations in which to interview management  and staff at VA medical centers (VAMC) and their partnering public  housing agencies (PHA) (see fig. To address our second objective, we reviewed program manuals and  guidance on data that VA and HUD collect on HUD-VASH, their data  collection mechanisms, and reliability controls. In addition, we interviewed representatives of,  and gathered documentation from, HUD and VA headquarters; the U.S.  Interagency Council on Homelessness (Interagency Council); and veteran  and homeless advocacy organizations, including the National Coalition for  Homeless Veterans, the National Coalition for the Homeless, the National  Alliance to End Homelessness, and Vietnam Veterans of America.
Why GAO Did This Study

According to a HUD and VA report, veterans are overrepresented among the homeless population. The HUD-VASH program combines rental assistance for homeless veterans in the form of section 8 Housing Choice vouchers provided by HUD with case management and clinical services provided by VA at VAMCs and community-based outpatient clinics. This collaborative initiative between the two agencies is intended to target the most vulnerable, most needy, and chronically homeless veterans. GAO was asked to examine (1) how VA and HUD determine veteran eligibility for HUD-VASH, (2) what data VA and HUD collect and report on HUD-VASH and their data reliability efforts, and (3) what is known about HUD-VASH performance.
To address these objectives, GAO reviewed HUD-VASH program requirements and reported program data through March 2012; and interviewed VA and HUD headquarters officials, staff at a non-representative sample of 10 VAMCs and 10 PHAs, and representatives of organizations that advocate for veterans or individuals experiencing homelessness.
GAO makes no recommendations in this report. HUD, VA, and the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness generally agreed with GAOs conclusions.

What GAO Found

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) rely on VA medical centers (VAMC) and public housing agencies (PHA) that serve veterans directly to determine participant eligibility for the HUD-VA Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) program. VAMC staff GAO contacted said that they interview veterans interested in the HUD-VASH program to assess whether the veteran met the programs definition of homelessness, check VAs electronic patient record system to determine whether the veteran was eligible for VA health care, and obtain the veterans agreement to participate in case management. VAMCs refer eligible veterans to partnering PHAs (subject to rental assistance voucher availability) and are required to place them on an interest list when no vouchers are available. PHA staff GAO contacted said that they compare the veterans reported income to information provided by third-party sources, such as the Social Security Administration, to verify that the veterans household income did not exceed HUD-VASH program limits and check state sex offender registries to help ensure that no member of the veterans household was subject to a lifetime registration requirement.
VA and HUD collect various data on veteran participation and voucher utilization and are taking steps to address the reliability of data collected and reported on HUD-VASH. Since 2008, VA has used an electronic database referred to as the Dashboard to collect and report various data, such as the number of veterans issued a voucher and seeking housing and the number of veterans housed. VA described taking a number of steps intended to help ensure the reliability of Dashboard-based reports, including routine reviews of underlying reports. VA expects to fully implement reporting based on data collected with its new Homeless Operations Management and Evaluation System (HOMES) by July 2012. According to VA, HOMES incorporates additional data reliability controls, such as data fields that automatically limit responses to predefined ranges. HUD also collects data on HUD-VASH voucher utilization, although HUD officials acknowledged discrepancies between VA and HUD data. VA and HUD are working to finalize an information-sharing agreement intended to help the departments better identify the source of the discrepancies and validate reports based on HOMES data.
HUD-VASH data show that the program has moved previously homeless veterans into housing. As of March 2012, nearly 31,200 veterans lived in HUD-VASH supported housing (about 83 percent of the rental assistance vouchers authorized under the program). The program goal is to have veterans in housing represent 88 percent of authorized vouchers by September 2012; several states had met or exceeded the goal as of March 2012. VAMC and PHA staff GAO contacted also cited challenges in administering the HUD-VASH program, including a lack of resources to assist veterans with moving into housing. In April 2012, HUD released a best practices document that illustrated how some of the challenges identified had been addressed. For example, one PHA applied for county Community Development Block Grant funds to assist veterans with security and utility deposits.