[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 9468 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 9468

Making supplemental appropriations for the fiscal year ending September 
                   30, 2024, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 6, 2024

  Mr. Mike Garcia of California (for himself, Mr. Cole, Mr. Carter of 
Texas, Mr. Calvert, Mr. Valadao, and Mr. Bost) introduced the following 
      bill; which was referred to the Committee on Appropriations

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
Making supplemental appropriations for the fiscal year ending September 
                   30, 2024, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled, That the following sums 
are appropriated, out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise 
appropriated, for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2024, and for 
other purposes, namely:

                     DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS

                    Veterans Benefits Administration

                       compensation and pensions

    For an additional amount for ``Compensation and Pensions'', 
$2,285,513,000, to remain available until expended.

                    Veterans Benefits Administration

                         readjustment benefits

    For an additional amount for ``Readjustment Benefits'', 
$596,969,000, to remain available until expended.

                      GENERAL PROVISIONS--THIS ACT

    Sec. 101.  Each amount appropriated or made available by this Act 
is in addition to amounts otherwise appropriated for the fiscal year 
involved.
    Sec. 102.  Unless otherwise provided for by this Act, the 
additional amounts appropriated by this Act to appropriations accounts 
shall be available under the authorities and conditions applicable to 
such appropriations accounts for fiscal year 2024.
    Sec. 103. (a) Budget Formulation and Forecasting.--Not later than 
30 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of 
Veterans Affairs shall submit to the Committees on Appropriations and 
the Committees on Veterans Affairs of the House of Representatives and 
the Senate a report detailing corrections the Department will make to 
improve forecasting, data quality and budget assumptions relating to 
budget submissions for funds provided under the headings 
``Compensations and Pensions'' and ``Readjustment Benefits''.
    (b) Reporting Requirement.--Not later than 60 days after the 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall submit 
to the Committees on Appropriations and the Committees on Veterans 
Affairs of the House of Representatives and the Senate a report on 
status of funds made available under the headings ``Compensations and 
Pensions'' and ``Readjustment Benefits'' for fiscal years 2024, 2025, 
and 2026 in this or any other Act: Provided, That such report shall be 
updated and submitted to such Committees every 90 days thereafter until 
September 30, 2026, and shall include information detailing any changes 
to estimates or assumptions on obligations and expenditures, including 
data supporting these changes.
    Sec. 104. (a) The Inspector General of the Department of Veterans 
Affairs shall conduct a review of the circumstances surrounding and the 
underlying causes of the announced funding shortfall for the Veterans 
Benefits Administration for fiscal year 2024 described in the letter to 
Congress from the Secretary of Veterans Affairs on July 19, 2024, and 
the announced funding shortfall for the Veterans Health Administration 
in fiscal year 2025 described in the letter to Congress from the 
Secretary of Veterans Affairs on July 31, 2024.
    (b) Relating to the shortfall in the funding of the Veterans 
Benefits Administration in fiscal year 2024 and the expected shortfall 
in the funding of the Veterans Health Administration in fiscal year 
2025, the review shall include, but not be limited to: a comparison of 
monthly obligations and expenditures in relevant accounts against the 
spend plan of the Department; the reasons for any significant 
diversions of obligations or expenditures from the spend plan; an 
analysis of the accuracy of projections and estimates relevant to such 
diversions; and any other matter determined relevant by the Inspector 
General.
    (c) Relating to the expected shortfall in the funding of the 
Veterans Health Administration in fiscal year 2025, the review also 
shall include: any changes, abnormalities, or significant events as 
determined significant by the Inspector General of the Department of 
Veterans Affairs in the transfer, reallocation, or other movement of 
funding between or within the Central Office, a Veterans Integrated 
Service Network, a facility, a program or office, a special purpose 
fund, the Veterans Equitable Resource Allocation process, or the 
Medical Center Allocation System.
    (d) Actions the Department of Veterans Affairs can take to improve 
the accuracy of supporting information submitted under section 1105(a) 
of title 31, United States Code, with respect to the Department of 
Veterans Affairs and to prevent funding shortfalls for the Department.
    (e) Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this 
Act, the Inspector General of the Department of Veterans Affairs shall 
submit to the Committees on Appropriations and the Committees on 
Veterans Affairs of the House of Representatives and the Senate a 
report detailing the conduct and findings of the review.
     This Act may be cited as the ``Veterans Benefits Continuity and 
Accountability Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2024''.
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