II 110th CONGRESS 2d Session S. 3527 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES September 18 (legislative day, September 17), 2008 Mr. Akaka (for himself, Ms. Snowe, Mr. Feingold, Ms. Landrieu, Mr. Johnson, Ms. Murkowski, Mr. Thune, Mr. Stevens, and Mr. Rockefeller) 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 authorize advance appropriations for certain medical care accounts of the Department of Veterans Affairs by providing two-fiscal year budget authority, and for other purposes.

1.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the Veterans Health Care Budget Reform Act of 2008.

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 the 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.