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Managing America: Veterans Affairs

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Week Ending June 26, 2009

H.R.1016 To amend title 38, United States Code, to provide advance appropriations authority for certain medical care accounts of the Department of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes.

House will consider this bill on Friday, October 9th.

Congress holds veteran healthcare is the largest discretionary health program and that providing health care services to veterans could be more effectively and efficiently planned and managed if funding was provided for management of  those services in advance. the bill becomes more significant with the country at war and veterans needing treatment increasing without prediction.

The Congressional Research Service defines advanced appropriations as. “An advance appropriation means appropriation of new budget authority that becomes available one or more fiscal years beyond the fiscal year for which the appropriations act was passed (that is beyond the budget year).”

The bill authorizes advanced appropriations for some medical care accounts of the Dept. of Veterans Affairs. Those services are medical services, medical support and compliance, medical facilities, information technology systems, and medical prosthetic research. For those accounts funds will be appropriated and will include advanced discretionary budget authority that first becomes available for the fiscal year following the current budget year.

The advanced authority will be based on a report from the VA Secretary on the sufficiency of resources for the next fiscal year.

The GAO will study the adequacy and accuracy of baseline model projections made by the enrollee Health Care Projection Model.

Congress has provided yearly appropriations for federal agencies since it began but the VA budget has only been in place at the start of the fiscal year four times in 20 years FY 1989, 1995, 1997, and 2009. the delay has impacted the provision of healthcare for veterans and the VA’s ability to plan and manage its resources.

Sponsor:  Rep. Bob Filner (CA-51^st)

Vote: 6/23/2009 On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by recorded vote (2/3 required): 409 - 1 (Roll no. 420). 8/6/2009 Passed/agreed to in Senate. Status: Passed Senate in lieu of S. 423 with an amendment by Unanimous Consent. House will consider this amended bill on Friday, October 9th.

Cost to the taxpayers: “CBO estimates that implementing the bill would cost almost $187 billion over the 2010-2014 period, assuming appropriation of the necessary amounts.”

Earmark Certification: H.R. 1016 does not contain any congressional earmarks, limited tax benefits, or limited tariff benefits as defined in clause 9(d), 9(e), or 9(f) of rule XXI of the Rules of the House of Representatives.

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