[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 331 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







109th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 331

   To amend title 38, United States Code, to provide for an assured 
          adequate level of funding for veterans health care.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            February 9, 2005

   Mr. Johnson (for himself, Mr. Nelson of Nebraska, and Mr. Durbin) 
introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the 
                     Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To amend title 38, United States Code, to provide for an assured 
          adequate level of funding for veterans health care.

    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 ``Assured Funding for Veterans Health 
Care Act of 2005''.

SEC. 2. ASSURANCE OF ADEQUATE FUNDING FOR VETERANS HEALTH CARE.

    (a) In General.--Chapter 3 of title 38, United States Code, is 
amended by adding at the end the following new section:
``Sec. 320. Assured funding for veterans health care
    ``(a) For each fiscal year, the Secretary of the Treasury shall 
make available to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs the amount 
determined under subsection (b) with respect to that fiscal year. Each 
such amount is available, without fiscal year limitation, for the 
programs, functions, and activities of the Veterans Health 
Administration, as specified in subsection (c).
    ``(b)(1) The amount applicable to fiscal year 2007 under this 
subsection is the amount equal to 130 percent of the amount obligated 
by the Department during fiscal year 2005 for the purposes specified in 
subsection (c).
    ``(2) The amount applicable to any fiscal year after fiscal year 
2007 under this subsection is the amount equal to the product of the 
following:
            ``(A) The sum of--
                    ``(i) the number of veterans enrolled in the 
                Department health care system under section 1705 of 
                this title as of July 1 preceding the beginning of such 
                fiscal year; and
                    ``(ii) the number of persons eligible for health 
                care under chapter 17 of this title who are not covered 
                by clause (i) and who were provided hospital care or 
                medical services under such chapter at any time during 
                the fiscal year preceding such fiscal year.
            ``(B) The per capita baseline amount, as increased from 
        time to time pursuant to paragraph (3)(B).
    ``(3)(A) For purposes of paragraph (2)(B), the term `per capita 
baseline amount' means the amount equal to--
            ``(i) the amount specified in paragraph (1), divided by
            ``(ii) the number of veterans enrolled in the Department 
        health care system under section 1705 of this title as of 
        September 30, 2005.
    ``(B) With respect to any fiscal year, the Secretary shall provide 
a percentage increase (rounded to the nearest dollar) in the per capita 
baseline amount equal to the percentage by which--
            ``(i) the Consumer Price Index (all Urban Consumers, United 
        States City Average, Hospital and related services, Seasonally 
        Adjusted), published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the 
        Department of Labor for the 12-month period ending on the June 
        30 preceding the beginning of the fiscal year for which the 
        increase is made, exceeds
            ``(ii) such Consumer Price Index for the 12-month period 
        preceding the 12-month period described in clause (i).
    ``(c)(1) Except as provided in paragraph (2), the purposes for 
which amounts made available pursuant to subsection (a) shall be all 
programs, functions, and activities of the Veterans Health 
Administration.
    ``(2) Amounts made available pursuant to subsection (a) are not 
available for--
            ``(A) construction, acquisition, or alteration of medical 
        facilities as provided in subchapter I of chapter 81 of this 
        title (other than for such repairs as were provided for before 
        the date of the enactment of this section through the Medical 
        Care appropriation for the Department); or
            ``(B) grants under subchapter III of chapter 81 of this 
        title.''.
    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections at the beginning of 
such chapter is amended by adding at the end the following new item:

``320. Assured funding for veterans health care.''.
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