H. R. 5325—24 
for ‘‘Medical Services’’, ‘‘Medical Community Care’’, ‘‘Medical Sup-
port and Compliance’’, and ‘‘Medical Facilities’’, up to $280,802,000, 
plus reimbursements, may be transferred to the Joint Department 
of Defense-Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Facility Dem-
onstration Fund, established by section 1704 of the National 
Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010 (Public Law 111– 
84; 123 Stat. 3571) and may be used for operation of the facilities 
designated as combined Federal medical facilities as described by 
section 706 of the Duncan Hunter National Defense Authorization 
Act for Fiscal Year 2009 (Public Law 110–417; 122 Stat. 4500): 
Provided, That additional funds may be transferred from accounts 
designated in this section to the Joint Department of Defense- 
Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Facility Demonstration 
Fund upon written notification by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs 
to the Committees on Appropriations of both Houses of Congress. 
(INCLUDING TRANSFER OF FUNDS) 
SEC. 223. Such sums as may be deposited to the Medical 
Care Collections Fund pursuant to section 1729A of title 38, United 
States Code, for healthcare provided at facilities designated as 
combined Federal medical facilities as described by section 706 
of the Duncan Hunter National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal 
Year 2009 (Public Law 110–417; 122 Stat. 4500) shall also be 
available: (1) for transfer to the Joint Department of Defense- 
Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Facility Demonstration 
Fund, established by section 1704 of the National Defense 
Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010 (Public Law 111–84; 123 
Stat. 3571); and (2) for operations of the facilities designated as 
combined Federal medical facilities as described by section 706 
of the Duncan Hunter National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal 
Year 2009 (Public Law 110–417; 122 Stat. 4500). 
(INCLUDING TRANSFER OF FUNDS) 
SEC. 224. Of the amounts available in this title for ‘‘Medical 
Services’’, ‘‘Medical Community Care’’, ‘‘Medical Support and 
Compliance’’, and ‘‘Medical Facilities’’, a minimum of $15,000,000 
shall be transferred to the DOD–VA Health Care Sharing Incentive 
Fund, as authorized by section 8111(d) of title 38, United States 
Code, to remain available until expended, for any purpose author-
ized by section 8111 of title 38, United States Code. 
SEC. 225. None of the funds available to the Department of 
Veterans Affairs, in this or any other Act, may be used to replace 
the current system by which the Veterans Integrated Service Net-
works select and contract for diabetes monitoring supplies and 
equipment. 
SEC. 226. The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall notify the 
Committees on Appropriations of both Houses of Congress of all 
bid savings in a major construction project that total at least 
$5,000,000, or 5 percent of the programmed amount of the project, 
whichever is less: Provided, That such notification shall occur within 
14 days of a contract identifying the programmed amount: Provided 
further, That the Secretary shall notify the Committees on Appro-
priations of both Houses of Congress 14 days prior to the obligation 
of such bid savings and shall describe the anticipated use of such 
savings.
H. R. 5325—25 
SEC. 227. None of the funds made available for ‘‘Construction, 
Major Projects’’ may be used for a project in excess of the scope 
specified for that project in the original justification data provided 
to the Congress as part of the request for appropriations unless 
the Secretary of Veterans Affairs receives approval from the 
Committees on Appropriations of both Houses of Congress. 
SEC. 228. Not later than 30 days after the end of each fiscal 
quarter, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall submit to the 
Committees on Appropriations of both Houses of Congress a quar-
terly report containing performance measures and data from each 
Veterans Benefits Administration Regional Office: Provided, That, 
at a minimum, the report shall include the direction contained 
in the section entitled ‘‘Disability claims backlog’’, under the heading 
‘‘General Operating Expenses, Veterans Benefits Administration’’ 
in the joint explanatory statement accompanying this Act. 
SEC. 229. Of the funds provided to the Department of Veterans 
Affairs for fiscal year 2017 for ‘‘Medical Support and Compliance’’ 
a maximum of $40,000,000 may be obligated from the ‘‘Medical 
Support and Compliance’’ account for the VistA Evolution and elec-
tronic health record interoperability projects: Provided, That funds 
in addition to these amounts may be obligated for the VistA Evo-
lution and electronic health record interoperability projects upon 
written notification by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to the 
Committees on Appropriations of both Houses of Congress. 
SEC. 230. The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall provide writ-
ten notification to the Committees on Appropriations of both Houses 
of Congress 15 days prior to organizational changes which result 
in the transfer of 25 or more full-time equivalents from one 
organizational unit of the Department of Veterans Affairs to 
another. 
SEC. 231. The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall provide on 
a quarterly basis to the Committees on Appropriations of both 
Houses of Congress notification of any single national outreach 
and awareness marketing campaign in which obligations exceed 
$2,000,000. 
(INCLUDING TRANSFER OF FUNDS) 
SEC. 232. The Secretary of Veterans Affairs, upon determination 
that such action is necessary to address needs of the Veterans 
Health Administration, may transfer to the ‘‘Medical Services’’ 
account any discretionary appropriations made available for fiscal 
year 2017 in this title (except appropriations made to the ‘‘General 
Operating Expenses, Veterans Benefits Administration’’ account) 
or any discretionary unobligated balances within the Department 
of Veterans Affairs, including those appropriated for fiscal year 
2017, that were provided in advance by appropriations Acts: Pro-
vided, That transfers shall be made only with the approval of 
the Office of Management and Budget: Provided further, That the 
transfer authority provided in this section is in addition to any 
other transfer authority provided by law: Provided further, That 
no amounts may be transferred from amounts that were designated 
by Congress as an emergency requirement pursuant to a concurrent 
resolution on the budget or the Balanced Budget and Emergency 
Deficit Control Act of 1985: Provided further, That such authority 
to transfer may not be used unless for higher priority items, based
H. R. 5325—26 
on emergent healthcare requirements, than those for which origi-
nally appropriated and in no case where the item for which funds 
are requested has been denied by Congress: Provided further, That, 
upon determination that all or part of the funds transferred from 
an appropriation are not necessary, such amounts may be trans-
ferred back to that appropriation and shall be available for the 
same purposes as originally appropriated: Provided further, That 
before a transfer may take place, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs 
shall request from the Committees on Appropriations of both Houses 
of Congress the authority to make the transfer and receive approval 
of that request. 
(INCLUDING TRANSFER OF FUNDS) 
SEC. 233. Amounts made available for the Department of Vet-
erans Affairs for fiscal year 2017, under the ‘‘Board of Veterans 
Appeals’’ and the ‘‘General Operating Expenses, Veterans Benefits 
Administration’’ accounts may be transferred between such 
accounts: Provided, That before a transfer may take place, the 
Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall request from the Committees 
on Appropriations of both Houses of Congress the authority to 
make the transfer and receive approval of that request. 
SEC. 234. The Secretary of Veterans Affairs may not reprogram 
funds among major construction projects or programs if such 
instance of reprogramming will exceed $5,000,000, unless such re-
programming is approved by the Committees on Appropriations 
of both Houses of Congress. 
(RESCISSION OF FUNDS) 
SEC. 235. Of the unobligated balances available within the 
‘‘DOD–VA Health Care Sharing Incentive Fund’’, $40,000,000 are 
hereby rescinded. 
(RESCISSIONS OF FUNDS) 
SEC. 236. Of the discretionary funds made available in Public 
Law 114–113 for the Department of Veterans Affairs for fiscal 
year 2017, $134,000,000 are rescinded from ‘‘Medical Services’’, 
$26,000,000 are rescinded from ‘‘Medical Support and Compliance’’, 
and $9,000,000 are rescinded from ‘‘Medical Facilities’’. 
SEC. 237. The amounts otherwise made available by this Act 
for the following accounts of the Department of Veterans Affairs 
are hereby reduced by the following amounts: 
(1) ‘‘Veterans Health Administration—Medical and Pros-
thetic Research’’, $2,000,000. 
(2) ‘‘Departmental Administration—Board of Veterans 
Appeals’’, $500,000. 
(3) ‘‘Veterans Benefits Administration—General Operating 
Expenses, Veterans Benefits Administration’’, $12,000,000. 
(4) 
‘‘Departmental 
Administration—Information 
Tech-
nology Systems’’, $8,000,000. 
(5) ‘‘Departmental Administration—Office of Inspector Gen-
eral’’, $500,000. 
SEC. 238. The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall ensure that 
the toll-free suicide hotline under section 1720F(h) of title 38, United 
States Code—
H. R. 5325—27 
(1) provides to individuals who contact the hotline imme-
diate assistance from a trained professional; and 
(2) adheres to all requirements of the American Association 
of Suicidology. 
SEC. 239. (a) The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall treat 
a marriage and family therapist described in subsection (b) as 
qualified to serve as a marriage and family therapist in the Depart-
ment of Veterans Affairs, regardless of any requirements estab-
lished by the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family 
Therapy Education. 
(b) A marriage and family therapist described in this subsection 
is a therapist who meets each of the following criteria: 
(1) Has a masters or higher degree in marriage and family 
therapy, or a related field, from a regionally accredited institu-
tion. 
(2) Is licensed as a marriage and family therapist in a 
State (as defined in section 101(20) of title 38, United States 
Code) and possesses the highest level of licensure offered from 
the State. 
(3) Has passed the Association of Marital and Family 
Therapy Regulatory Board Examination in Marital and Family 
Therapy or a related examination for licensure administered 
by a State (as so defined). 
SEC. 240. None of the funds in this or any other Act may 
be used to close Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) hospitals, 
domiciliaries, or clinics, conduct an environmental assessment, or 
to diminish healthcare services at existing Veterans Health 
Administration medical facilities located in Veterans Integrated 
Service Network 23 as part of a planned realignment of VA services 
until the Secretary provides to the Committees on Appropriations 
of both Houses of Congress a report including the following ele-
ments: 
(1) a national realignment strategy that includes a detailed 
description of realignment plans within each Veterans 
Integrated Service Network (VISN), including an updated Long 
Range Capital Plan to implement realignment requirements; 
(2) an explanation of the process by which those plans 
were developed and coordinated within each VISN; 
(3) a cost vs. benefit analysis of each planned realignment, 
including the cost of replacing Veterans Health Administration 
services with contract care or other outsourced services; 
(4) an analysis of how any such planned realignment of 
services will impact access to care for veterans living in rural 
or highly rural areas, including travel distances and transpor-
tation costs to access a VA medical facility and availability 
of local specialty and primary care; 
(5) an inventory of VA buildings with historic designation 
and the methodology used to determine the buildings’ condition 
and utilization; 
(6) a description of how any realignment will be consistent 
with requirements under the National Historic Preservation 
Act; and 
(7) consideration given for reuse of historic buildings within 
newly identified realignment requirements: Provided, That, this 
provision shall not apply to capital projects in VISN 23, or 
any other VISN, which have been authorized or approved by 
Congress.