II 

110TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 3527 

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. 

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 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Veterans Health Care 

5 Budget Reform Act of 2008’’. 

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1 SEC. 2. TWO-FISCAL YEAR BUDGET AUTHORITY FOR CER2 TAIN MEDICAL CARE ACCOUNTS OF THE DE3 PARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS. 

4 (a) TWO-FISCAL YEAR BUDGET AUTHORITY.— 

5 (1) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 1 of title 38, United 

6 States Code, is amended by inserting after section 

7 113 the following new section: 

8 ‘‘§ 113A. Two-fiscal year budget authority for certain 

9 medical care accounts 

10 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Beginning with fiscal year 2010, 

11 new discretionary budget authority provided in an appro12 priations Act for the appropriations accounts of the De13 partment specified in subsection (b) shall be made avail14 able for the fiscal year involved and shall include new dis15 cretionary budget authority first available after the end 

16 of such fiscal year for the subsequent fiscal year. 

17 ‘‘(b) MEDICAL CARE ACCOUNTS.—The medical care 

18 accounts of the Department specified in this subsection 

19 are the medical care accounts of the Veterans Health Ad20 ministration as follows: 

21 ‘‘(1) Medical Services. 

22 ‘‘(2) Medical Administration. 

23 ‘‘(3) Medical Facilities.’’. 

24 (2) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sec25 tions at the beginning of chapter 1 of such title is 

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1 amended by inserting after the item relating to sec2 tion 113 the following new item: 

‘‘113A. Two-fiscal year budget authority for certain medical care accounts.’’. 

3 SEC. 3. COMPTROLLER GENERAL OF THE UNITED STATES 

4 STUDY ON ADEQUACY AND ACCURACY OF 

5 BASELINE MODEL PROJECTIONS OF THE DE6 PARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS FOR 

7 HEALTH CARE EXPENDITURES. 

8 (a) STUDY OF ADEQUACY AND ACCURACY OF BASE9 LINE MODEL PROJECTIONS.—The Comptroller General of 

10 the United States shall conduct a study of the adequacy 

11 and accuracy of the budget projections made by the En12 rollee Health Care Projection Model, or its equivalent, as 

13 utilized for the purpose of estimating and projecting 

14 health care expenditures of the Department of Veterans 

15 Affairs (in this section referred to as the ‘‘Model’’) with 

16 respect to the fiscal year involved and the subsequent four 

17 fiscal years. 

18 (b) REPORTS.— 

19 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than the date of 

20 each year in 2010, 2011, and 2012, on which the 

21 President submits the budget request for the next 

22 fiscal year under section 1105 of title 31, United 

23 States Code, the Comptroller General shall submit to 

24 the appropriate committees of Congress and to the 

25 Secretary a report. 

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1 (2) ELEMENTS.—Each report under this para2 graph shall include, for the fiscal year beginning in 

3 the year in which such report is submitted, the fol4 lowing: 

5 (A) A statement whether the amount re6 quested in the budget of the President for ex7 penditures of the Department for health care in 

8 such fiscal year is consistent with anticipated 

9 expenditures of the Department for health care 

10 in such fiscal year as determined utilizing the 

11 Model. 

12 (B) The basis for such statement. 

13 (C) Such additional information as the 

14 Comptroller General determines appropriate. 

15 (3) AVAILABILITY TO THE PUBLIC.—Each re16 port submitted under this subsection shall also be 

17 made available to the public. 

18 (4) APPROPRIATE COMMITTEES OF CONGRESS

19 DEFINED.—In this subsection, the term ‘‘appro20 priate committees of Congress’’ means— 

21 (A) the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs, 

22 Appropriations, and the Budget of the Senate; 

23 and 

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1 (B) the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs, 

2 Appropriations, and the Budget of the House of 

3 Representatives. 

Æ 

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