H.R. 9379

[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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