The Senate has passed legislation aimed at helping disabled veterans who live with relatives. The amendment, sponsored by Sen. John Sununu (R-N. H.), directs the VA to set up a five-year pilot program offering from $10,000 to $50,000 grants to make modifications—such as wheelchair ramps and widened doorways—to private homes. Current law permits a one-time grant to disabled vets, but they must own the home. Sen. Larry Craig (R-Idaho), chairman of the Veterans Affairs committee, calls the change a “commonsense approach” since many of the newly disabled vets are in their late teens or early 20s and return home to live with parents. He pledges to work to include the measure in an omnibus veterans bill. For more information on adaptive housing, click here.
The Pentagon has concluded a new agreement to buy laser-guidance kits that turn rockets into drone-killing weapons. BAE Systems and the Defense Department announced a framework deal of up to seven years for 25,000 Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System guidance kits annually for the U.S. military.