I 
108TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 4423 
Making appropriations for the Department of Veterans Affairs for the fiscal 
year ending September 30, 2005, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 20, 2004 
Mr. EDWARDS introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on Appropriations, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and 
Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in 
each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdic-
tion of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
Making appropriations for the Department of Veterans Af-
fairs for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2005, 
and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives 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 
Department of Veterans Affairs for the fiscal year ending 
September 30, 2005, and for other purposes, namely:
HR 4423 IH 
DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS 
VETERANS HEALTH ADMINISTRATION 
MEDICAL CARE 
For necessary expenses for the maintenance and op-
eration of hospitals, nursing homes, and domiciliary facili-
ties; for furnishing, as authorized by law, inpatient and 
outpatient care and treatment to beneficiaries of the De-
partment of Veterans Affairs and Veterans described in 
paragraphs (1) through (8) of section 1705(a) of title 38, 
United States Code, including care and treatment in facili-
ties not under the jurisdiction of the Department and in-
cluding medical supplies and equipment and salaries and 
expenses of health care employees hired under title 38, 
United States Code; and furnishing recreational facilities, 
supplies, and equipment; funeral, burial, and other ex-
penses incidental thereto for beneficiaries receiving care 
in the Department; administrative expenses in support of 
planning, design, project management, real property ac-
quisition and disposition, construction and renovation of 
any facility under the jurisdiction or for the use of the 
Department; oversight, engineering and architectural ac-
tivities not charged to project costs; repairing, altering, 
improving or providing facilities in the several hospitals 
and homes under the jurisdiction of the department, not 
otherwise provided for, either by contract or by the hire
HR 4423 IH 
of temporary employees and purchase of materials; infor-
mation technology hardware and software; uniforms or al-
lowances therefor, as authorized by 5 U.S.C. 5901–5902; 
other services authorized by 5 U.S.C. 3109 including hire 
of passenger motor vehicles; lease of a facility or land or 
both; aid to State homes as authorized by 38 U.S.C. 1741; 
administrative and legal expenses of the Department for 
collecting and recovering amounts owed the Department 
as authorized under 38 U.S.C. chapter 17, and the Fed-
eral Medical Care Recovery Act, 42 U.S.C. 2651 et seq., 
$28,994,000,000, plus reimbursements: Provided, That no 
appropriations from this account shall be available for the 
purchase of any site for or toward the construction of any 
new hospital or home: Provided further, That no appro-
priations in this account shall be available for hospitaliza-
tion or examination of any persons (except beneficiaries 
entitled under the laws bestowing such benefits to vet-
erans, and persons receiving such treatment under 5 
U.S.C.7901–7904 or 42 U.S.C. 5141–5204), unless reim-
bursement of cost is made to this account at such rates 
as may be fixed by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs: Pro-
vided further, That no appropriations in this account shall 
be available to enter into any new lease of real property 
if the estimated annual rental is more than $300,000 un-
less the Secretary submits a report which the Committees
HR 4423 IH 
on Appropriations of the Congress approve within 30 days 
following the date on which the report is received: Pro-
vided further, That, notwithstanding any other provision 
of law, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs may authorize 
the dispensing of prescription drugs from Veterans Health 
Administration facilities to enrolled veterans with privately 
written prescriptions based on requirements established by 
the Secretary: Provided further, That the implementation 
of the program described in the previous proviso shall 
incur no additional cost to the Department of Veterans 
Affairs: Provided further, That: (a) the Secretary of Vet-
erans Affairs shall conduct by contract a program of re-
covery audits for the fee basis and other medical services 
contracts with respect to payments for hospital care. Not-
withstanding section 3302(b) of title 31, United States 
Code, amounts collected, by setoff or otherwise, as the re-
sult of such audits shall be available without fiscal year 
limitation, for the purposes for which funds are appro-
priated under this account and the purposes of paying a 
contractor a percent of the amount collected as a result 
of an audit carried out by the contractor: and (b) all 
amounts so collected under subsection (a) with respect to 
a designated health care region (as that term is defined 
in section 1729A(d)(2) of title 38, United States Code) 
shall be allocated, not of payments to the contractor, to
HR 4423 IH 
that region: Provided further, That amounts deducted 
from enhanced-use lease proceeds to reimburse an account 
for expenses incurred by that account during a prior fiscal 
year for providing enhanced-use lease services, may be ob-
ligated during the fiscal year in which the proceeds are 
received. 
MEDICAL CARE COLLECTIONS FUND 
(INCLUDING TRANSFER OF FUNDS) 
Amounts deposited during the current fiscal year in 
the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Care Collec-
tions Fund under section 1729A of title 38 U.S.C., may 
be transferred to ‘‘Medical care’’, to remain available until 
expended: Provided, That notwithstanding any other pro-
visions of law, at the discretion of the Secretary of Vet-
erans Affairs, proceeds or revenues derived from en-
hanced-use leasing activities (including disposal) that are 
deposited into this account may be transferred and merged 
with ‘‘Construction, major projects’’ and ‘‘Construction, 
minor projects’’ accounts and be used for construction (in-
cluding site acquisition and disposition), alterations and 
improvements of any medical facility under the jurisdic-
tion or for the use of the Department of Veterans Affairs. 
Such sums as realized are in addition to the amount pro-
vided for in ‘‘Construction, major projects’’ and ‘‘Con-
struction, minor projects’’.
HR 4423 IH 
MEDICAL AND PROSTHETIC RESEARCH 
For necessary expenses in carrying out programs of 
medical and prosthetic research and development as au-
thorized by chapter 73 of title 38, United States Code, 
to 
remain 
available 
until 
September 
30, 
2006, 
$415,000,000, plus reimbursements: Provided, That no 
appropriations from this account shall be available for the 
purchase of any site for or toward the construction of any 
new hospital or home: Provided further, That no appro-
priations in this account shall be available for hospitaliza-
tion or examination of any persons (except beneficiaries 
entitled under the laws bestowing such benefits to vet-
erans, and persons receiving such treatment under 5 
U.S.C. 7901–7904 or 42 U.S.C. 5141–5204), unless reim-
bursement of cost is made to the ‘‘Medical care’’ account 
at such rates as may be fixed by the Secretary of Veterans 
Affairs: Provided further, That no appropriations in this 
account shall be available to enter into any new lease of 
real property if the estimated annual rental is more than 
$300,000 unless the Secretary submits a report which the 
Committees on Appropriations of the Congress approve 
within 30 days following the date on which the report is 
received: Provided further, That amounts deducted from 
enhanced-use lease proceeds to reimburse an account for 
expenses incurred by that account during a prior fiscal
HR 4423 IH 
year for providing enhanced-use lease services, may be ob-
ligated during the fiscal year in which the proceeds are 
received. 
MEDICAL ADMINISTRATION AND MISCELLANEOUS 
OPERATING EXPENSES 
For necessary expenses in the administration of the 
medical, hospital, nursing home, domiciliary, construction, 
supply and research activities, as authorized by law; for 
other services authorized by 5 U.S.C. 3109 including hire 
of passenger motor vehicles; lease of a facility or land or 
both; and uniforms or allowances therefor, as authorized 
by 5 U.S.C. 5901–5902; administrative expenses in sup-
port of capital policy activities, $87,000,000, of which 
$4,350,000 shall be available until September 30, 2006, 
plus reimbursements: Provided, That technical and con-
sulting services offered by the Facilities Management 
Field Support Service, including project management and 
real property administration (including leases, site acquisi-
tion and disposal activities directly supporting projects), 
shall be provided to Department of Veterans Affairs com-
ponents only on a reimbursable basis, and such amounts 
will remain available until September 30, 2006: Provided 
further, That no appropriations from this account shall be 
available for the purchase of any site for or toward the 
construction of any new hospital or home: Provided fur-
ther, That no appropriations in this account shall be avail-