S. 679Senate116th Congress (2019-2021)In Committee

HAVEN Act

Introduced March 6, 2019

AI-Generated Summary

Updated April 14, 2026 at 2:37 AM UTC

The HAVEN Act (Honoring American Veterans in Extreme Need Act of 2019) changes bankruptcy law so that certain veterans’ benefits are not counted as monthly income. By amending the definition of “current monthly income,” the bill ensures that benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Defense are excluded from the income calculation used in bankruptcy cases. This helps veterans and their families who rely on these benefits avoid losing assets or facing higher debt burdens during bankruptcy.

Key Provisions

  • Amends 11 U.S.C. §101(10A) to specifically exclude from income calculations: Social Security benefits; payments to victims of war crimes, crimes against humanity, international or domestic terrorism; and any monthly compensation, pension, pay, annuity, or allowance from titles 10, 37, or 38 related to disability, combat injury, or death of a service member.
  • Clarifies that retired pay excluded under this amendment includes only the portion of retired pay under chapter 61 of title 10 that exceeds the amount the debtor would otherwise be entitled to under other title‑10 provisions.

Legislative Activity

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SenateIntro Referral Latest Action

Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

March 6, 2019

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SenateIntro Referral

Introduced in Senate

March 6, 2019

SenateIntro Referral

Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

March 6, 2019

Bill Text

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Introduced in SenateIssued March 6, 2019

II

116th CONGRESS

1st Session

S. 679

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

March 6, 2019

Ms. Baldwin (for herself, Mr. Cornyn, Mr. Tester, Mr. Isakson, Mr. Jones, Mr. Tillis, Mrs. Feinstein, Ms. Ernst, Mr. Leahy, Mr. Grassley, Ms. Smith, Mr. Cramer, Mr. Durbin, Mr. Moran, Ms. Klobuchar, Mr. Cotton, Ms. Duckworth, Mr. Rubio, Mrs. Shaheen, and Mr. Rounds) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

A BILL

To exempt from the calculation of monthly income certain benefits paid by the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Defense.

1.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the Honoring American Veterans in Extreme Need Act of 2019 or the HAVEN Act.

2.

Definition of current monthly income

Section 101(10A) of title 11, United States Code, is amended by striking subparagraph (B) and inserting the following:

(B)
(i)

includes any amount paid by any entity other than the debtor (or in a joint case the debtor and the debtor's spouse), on a regular basis for the household expenses of the debtor or the debtor's dependents (and in a joint case the debtor's spouse if not otherwise a dependent); and

(ii)

excludes—

(I)

benefits received under the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 301 et seq.);

(II)

payments to victims of war crimes or crimes against humanity on account of their status as victims of such crimes;

(III)

payments to victims of international terrorism or domestic terrorism, as those terms are defined in section 2331 of title 18, on account of their status as victims of such terrorism; and

(IV)

any monthly compensation, pension, pay, annuity, or allowance paid under title 10, 37, or 38 in connection with a disability, combat-related injury or disability, or death of a member of the uniformed services, except that any retired pay excluded under this subclause shall include retired pay paid under chapter 61 of title 10 only to the extent that such retired pay exceeds the amount of retired pay to which the debtor would otherwise be entitled if retired under any provision of title 10 other than chapter 61 of that title.

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