I
105TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 1156
To provide for greater equity in the allocation by the Secretary of Veterans
Affairs of amounts appropriated for medical care programs of the De-
partment of Veterans Affairs for the next two fiscal years and for
other purposes related to the needs of veterans medical care.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
MARCH 20, 1997
Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN (for himself, Mr. PAXON, Ms. MOLINARI, Mr. FRANKS
of New Jersey, Mr. GILMAN, Mr. SMITH of New Jersey, Mr. ENGLISH
of Pennsylvania, Mr. PAPPAS, Mr. HOUGHTON, Mrs. KELLY, Mr. SOLO-
MON, Mr. QUINN, Mrs. ROUKEMA, and Mr. MENENDEZ) introduced the
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs
A BILL
To provide for greater equity in the allocation by the Sec-
retary of Veterans Affairs of amounts appropriated for
medical care programs of the Department of Veterans
Affairs for the next two fiscal years and for other pur-
poses related to the needs of veterans medical care.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. EQUITABLE ALLOCATION OF MEDICAL CARE
APPROPRIATIONS FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF
VETERANS AFFAIRS.
(a) ALLOCATION SPECIFICATION.—The Secretary of
Veterans Affairs shall allocate amounts appropriated to
the Secretary for fiscal years 1998 and 1999 for medical
care so that the amount allocated for medical care to each
of the administrative elements of the Department of Vet-
erans Affairs specified in subsection (b) is not less than
the amount allocated to that element for medical care
from amounts appropriated for fiscal year 1996.
(b) AFFECTED ENTITIES.—Subsection (a) applies
with respect to each administrative element of the Depart-
ment of Veterans Affairs designated as Veterans Inte-
grated Service Network to which there would be allocated
an amount for medical care for fiscal year 1998 or fiscal
year 1999 that is less that the amount allocated for that
element for fiscal year 1996 under the funding distribu-
tion methodology for the Department of Veterans Affairs
health care budget known as the Veterans Equitable Re-
source Allocation system, developed by the Secretary of
Veterans Affairs pursuant to the requirements of section
429 of Public Law 104–204 (110 Stat. 2929) and submit-
ted to Congress in March 1997.
(c) EXCEPTION FOR ACTUAL CUT IN FUNDING.—If
the amount appropriated for a fiscal year covered by sub-
section (a) for the Department of Veterans Affairs for
medical care is less than the amount appropriated for that
purpose for fiscal year 1996, the amount of the limitation
under subsection (a) for that fiscal year for each adminis-
trative element specified in subsection (b) may be reduced
by the percentage by which the amount appropriated for
that fiscal year is less than the amount appropriated for
fiscal year 1996.
(d) REVISED FUNDING SCHEDULE.—(1) Chapter 73
of title 38, United States Code, is amended by inserting
after section 7306 the following new section:
‘‘§ 7307. Allocation of medical care appropriations
‘‘The Secretary shall ensure that, effective with fiscal
year 2000, each administrative element of the Department
of Veterans Affairs designated as Veterans Integrated
Service Network shall be allocated an amount for medical
care for any fiscal year from the total amount appro-
priated to the Secretary for that fiscal year for medical
care that is not less than 90 percent of the product of
(1) the number of veterans residing in the geographic area
of that service network, and (2) the national medical serv-
ices and administrative cost per veteran (determined by
dividing the total amount appropriated for the Secretary
for medical services and administrative costs for that fiscal
year by the total number of veterans residing in the Unit-
ed States).’’.
(2) The table of sections at the beginning of such
chapter is amended by inserting after the item relating
to section 7306 the following new item:
‘‘7307. Allocation of medical care appropriations.’’.
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