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Bill to create Disabled Veterans Assistance Fund receives bipartisan support; program would fund home accessibility grants
Summary
House Bill 3,627 would establish a Disabled Veterans Assistance Fund to provide grants for accessibility modifications at residences owned by disabled veterans or immediate family members; bill sponsors and witnesses described a $2 million seed, an 80% area median income eligibility threshold and coordination with county veteran service officers.
Representative Rick Lewis told the House Committee on Emergency Management, General Government, and Veterans on March 11 that House Bill 3,627 would establish a Disabled Veterans Assistance Fund in the state treasury to provide grants for accessibility resources at residences owned by disabled veterans or by family members with whom the veteran lives.
"The bill is bipartisan, bicameral," Representative Lewis said. He told members the fund would begin with $2,000,000 in the bill as introduced and that the Department of Veterans Affairs would coordinate grant administration with county veteran service officers.
Under the bill language presented in the hearing, the program sets an income eligibility threshold at 80% of the area median income where the veteran resides. Representative Lewis and witnesses explained the statutory definition of "disabled veteran" comes from ORS 408.225 and includes veterans with a VA disability rating, veterans discharged for a disability incurred in the line of duty, or Purple Heart recipients.
Witnesses described the range of allowable accessibility improvements: ramps and handrails, roll‑in showers, kitchen adjustments (lowered counters, pull‑down shelves), raised toilets, and stair lifts. Harold "Woody" Tiernan, testifying in support, said costs vary by project but that modest grants could make daily life easier and produce mental‑health benefits by restoring independence and dignity.
Tim Cowan, representing American Legion interests, and other witnesses said the bill responded to direct requests from veterans in the field and that a statewide program could be scalable. Cowan said the American Legion would assess whether the approach might be used nationally.
No vote occurred at the hearing. The committee closed the public hearing on HB 3,627 and carried over work sessions for unrelated bills to a later date.
Ending: The bill advances with public support; sponsors signaled the dollar figure could be adjusted later in the legislative process and requested the Department of Veterans Affairs report biennially to the legislature on grants awarded and funds expended.
