HouseH.R. 9379119th Congress
Affordable Homes for Veterans Act of 2026
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[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 9379 Introduced in House (IH)]
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119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 9379
To codify processing timelines for applications for the assumption of a
loan guaranteed by the Department of Veterans Affairs, to require the
Inspector General of the Department to conduct an assessment of loan
servicer compliance with such timelines, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
June 18, 2026
Mr. Vindman (for himself and Mr. Hamadeh of Arizona) introduced the
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Veterans'
Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To codify processing timelines for applications for the assumption of a
loan guaranteed by the Department of Veterans Affairs, to require the
Inspector General of the Department to conduct an assessment of loan
servicer compliance with such timelines, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Affordable Homes for Veterans Act of
2026''.
SEC. 2. CODIFICATION OF 45-CALENDAR-DAY PROCESSING REQUIREMENT FOR
APPLICATIONS FOR DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS HOME LOAN
ASSUMPTIONS.
(a) In General.--Chapter 37 of title 38, United States Code, is
amended by inserting after section 3710 the following new section:
``SEC. 3710A. PROCESSING TIMELINES FOR LOAN ASSUMPTIONS.
``(a) Processing Requirement.--The servicer of a loan guaranteed
under this chapter shall process and render a decision on a complete
application for the assumption of such a loan within 45 calendar days
of receipt of such complete application. The requirement under this
subsection shall apply regardless of whether the servicer--
``(1) is authorized to approve loan assumptions
independently; or
``(2) is required to submit an application for a loan
assumption to a regional loan center of the Department for
approval.
``(b) Complete Application Defined.--In this section, the term
`complete application' means an application that includes all documents
and information required by Department regulations for review and
approval.''.
(b) Conforming Amendment.--The table of sections in chapter 37 of
title 38, United States Code, is amended by inserting after the item
relating to section 3710 the following new item:
``3710A. Processing timelines for loan assumptions.''.
SEC. 3. GUIDANCE ON TIMELINES FOR SERVICERS OF LOANS GUARANTEED BY THE
SECRETARY OF VETERANS AFFAIRS.
Not later than 30 days after the date of the enactment of this Act,
the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall update guidance and
communications materials for servicers of loans guaranteed under
chapter 37 of title 38, United States Code, to clearly state that--
(1) the 45-calendar-day processing timeline established in
section 3710A of title 38, United States Code, as inserted by
section 3, is a statutory requirement;
(2) servicers may not threaten, suggest, or imply to
individuals who are potential assumers of such loans that the
processing timeline will exceed 45 calendar days as a reason to
discourage assumptions; and
(3) any communication made by servicers regarding
processing timelines must be consistent with the statutory
requirement.
SEC. 4. OFFICE OF INSPECTOR GENERAL ASSESSMENT.
(a) In General.--Not later than 90 days after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Inspector General of the Department of
Veterans Affairs, in consultation with the Comptroller General of the
United States, shall conduct an assessment of each of the following:
(1) During the three-year period preceding the date on
which the assessment is commenced, the extent to which
servicers of loans guaranteed under chapter 37 of title 38,
United States Code, processed applications for assumptions of
loans guaranteed under chapter 37 of title 38, United States
Code, within the 45-calendar-day timeline required by section
3710A of title 38, United States Code, as added by section 3.
(2) The average processing time for applications for
assumption of loans guaranteed under such chapter that are
submitted to servicers of such loans and regional loan centers
of the Department, disaggregated by servicer and by region.
(3) The frequency and nature of communications by servicers
of such loans to individuals who are potential assumers of such
loans regarding processing timelines, including instances in
which servicers suggested or implied that processing would take
longer than 45 calendar days.
(4) The denial rates for applications to assume such loans,
compared to the rates of approval and withdrawal of such
applications, including an assessment of whether extended
timelines may be discouraging applicants.
(5) The comparative denial rates between applications to
assume such loans and applications for new loans guaranteed
under such chapter, including an assessment of whether
assumptions are being subjected to higher or more stringent
approval standards than new loans.
(6) Any evidence of discrimination or disparate treatment
of individuals who submit applications to assume such loans
compared to individuals who submit applications for new loans,
including differences in underwriting standards, required
documentation, creditworthiness thresholds, or timelines based
on borrower characteristics.
(7) Any barriers within the operations, staffing, or
systems of servicers of such loans that prevent timely
processing of applications to assume such loans.
(8) The adequacy of Department oversight of the compliance
of servicers of such loans with assumption processing
requirements.
(b) Report to Congress.--Not later than 18 months after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the Inspector General of the Department of
Veterans Affairs shall submit to Congress a report containing--
(1) the findings of the assessment required by subsection
(a);
(2) an identification of any servicers of loans guaranteed
under chapter 37 of title 38, United States Code, that fail to
meet the 45-calendar-day requirement under section 3710A of
title 38, United States Code, as added by section 3, on a
consistent basis;
(3) an analysis of denial rates for applications to assume
such loans compared to denial rates for applications for new
loans guaranteed under such chapter, including an
identification of any disparities;
(4) an analysis of whether assumptions of such loans are
subject to higher or more stringent underwriting standards,
creditworthiness thresholds, or documentation requirements than
new loans;
(5) findings regarding potential discrimination or
disparate treatment of individuals who submit applications to
assume such loans;
(6) recommendations for enforcement mechanisms to ensure
the compliance of servicers of such loans with applicable
requirements; and
(7) an identification of any additional legislative or
regulatory changes needed to improve the processing of
applications to assume such loans and ensure equitable
treatment compared to applications for new loans.
(c) Public Data.--The Inspector General shall make publicly
accessible the anonymized data collected for purposes of conducting the
assessment required under subsection (a).
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