110 HR 6939 IH: To amend title 38, United States Code, to provide U.S. House of Representatives 2008-09-18 text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.

I 110th CONGRESS 2d Session H. R. 6939 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES September 18, 2008 Mr. Filner (for himself, Mr. Jones of North Carolina, Mr. Michaud, Mr. Hare, and Mr. Walz of Minnesota) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs A BILL To amend title 38, United States Code, to provide two-fiscal year budget authority for certain medical care accounts of the Department of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes.

1.

Findings

Congress makes the following findings: (1)Title 38, United States Code, authorizes the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to furnish hospital and domiciliary care, medical services, nursing home care, and related services to eligible and enrolled veterans, but such services can only be provided to the extent that appropriated resources and facilities are available for such purposes. (2)For 19 out of the past 21 fiscal years, Congress has not appropriated funds for medical care provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs before the commencement of the new fiscal year, causing the Department great challenges in planning and managing health care for enrolled veterans, to the detriment of those veterans. (3)The cumulative effects of insufficient, late and unpredictable health care funding endanger the viability of the system and the specialized health care resources the Department has developed to maintain and improve the health of the Nation’s sick and disabled veterans. (4)Approved appropriation levels for the health care programs of the Department have too often proven insufficient over the past decade, requiring the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to ration health care services and Congress to approve supplemental appropriations. (5)Providing sufficient, timely, and predictable funding would ensure the government meets its obligation to provide health care to sick and disabled veterans and ensure that all veterans enrolled for care in the Department of Veterans Affairs health care system have ready access to timely, quality services. (6)Providing sufficient, timely, and predictable funding to the veterans health care system would eliminate year-to-year uncertainty on funding levels that has prevented the Department of Veterans Affairs from being able to adequately plan for and meet the needs of veterans who are enrolled in the Department health care system.

2.

Two-fiscal year budget authority for certain medical care accounts of the Department of Veterans Affairs

(a)

Two-fiscal year budget authority

(1)

In general

Chapter 1 of title 38, United States Code, is amended by inserting after section 113 the following new section:

113A.

Two-fiscal year budget authority for certain medical care accounts

(a)

In general

Beginning with fiscal year 2010, new discretionary budget authority provided in an appropriations Act for the appropriations accounts of the Department specified in subsection (b) shall be made available for the fiscal year involved and shall include new discretionary budget authority first available after the end of such fiscal year for the subsequent fiscal year. (b)

Medical care accounts

The medical care accounts of the Department specified in this subsection are the medical care accounts of the Veterans Health Administration as follows: (1)Medical Services. (2)Medical Administration. (3)Medical Facilities.

. (2)

Clerical amendment

The table of sections at the beginning of chapter 1 of such title is amended by inserting after the item relating to section 113 the following new item: 113A. Two-fiscal year budget authority for certain medical care accounts. .

3.

Comptroller General of the United States study on adequacy and accuracy of baseline model projections of the Department of Veterans Affairs for health care expenditures

(a)

Study of adequacy and accuracy of baseline model projections

The Comptroller General of the United States shall conduct a study of the adequacy and accuracy of the budget projections made by the Enrollee Health Care Projection Model, or its equivalent, as utilized for the purpose of estimating and projecting health care expenditures of the Department of Veterans Affairs (in this section referred to as the Model) with respect to the fiscal year involved and the subsequent four fiscal years. (b)

Reports

(1)

In general

Not later than the date of each year in 2010, 2011, and 2012, on which the President submits the budget request for the next fiscal year under section 1105 of title 31, United States Code, the Comptroller General shall submit to the appropriate committees of Congress and to the Secretary a report. (2)

Elements

Each report under this paragraph shall include, for the fiscal year beginning in the year in which such report is submitted, the following: (A)A statement whether the amount requested in the budget of President for expenditures of the Department for health care in such fiscal year is consistent with anticipated expenditures of the Department for health care in such fiscal year as determined utilizing the Model. (B)The basis for such statement. (C)Such additional information as the Comptroller General determines appropriate. (3)

Availability to the public

Each report submitted under this subsection shall also be made available to the public. (4)

Appropriate committees of Congress defined

In this subsection, the term appropriate committees of Congress means— (A)the Committees on Veterans' Affairs, Appropriations, and the Budget of the Senate; and (B)the Committees on Veterans' Affairs, Appropriations, and the Budget of the House of Representatives.