H. R. 5895—65 
further, That amounts made available for the ‘‘Information Tech-
nology Systems’’ account for development may be transferred among 
projects or to newly defined projects: Provided further, That no 
project may be increased or decreased by more than $1,000,000 
of cost prior to submitting a request to the Committees on Appro-
priations of both Houses of Congress to make the transfer and 
an approval is issued, or absent a response, a period of 30 days 
has elapsed: Provided further, That the funds made available under 
this heading for information technology systems development shall 
be for the projects, and in the amounts, specified under this heading 
in the joint explanatory statement accompanying this Act. 
VETERANS ELECTRONIC HEALTH RECORD 
For activities related to implementation, preparation, develop-
ment, interface, management, rollout, and maintenance of a Vet-
erans Electronic Health Record system, including contractual costs 
associated with operations authorized by section 3109 of title 5, 
United States Code, and salaries and expenses of employees hired 
under titles 5 and 38, United States Code, $1,107,000,000, to remain 
available until September 30, 2021: Provided, That the Secretary 
of Veterans Affairs shall submit to the Committees on Appropria-
tions of both Houses of Congress quarterly reports detailing obliga-
tions, expenditures, and deployment implementation by facility: 
Provided further, That the funds provided in this account shall 
only be available to the Office of the Deputy Secretary, to be 
administered by that Office: Provided further, That none of the 
funds made available under this heading may be obligated in a 
manner inconsistent with deployment schedules provided to the 
Committees on Appropriations unless the Secretary of Veterans 
Affairs provides notification to the Committees on Appropriations 
of such change and an approval is issued. 
OFFICE OF INSPECTOR GENERAL 
For necessary expenses of the Office of Inspector General, to 
include information technology, in carrying out the provisions of 
the Inspector General Act of 1978 (5 U.S.C. App.), $192,000,000, 
of which not to exceed 10 percent shall remain available until 
September 30, 2020. 
CONSTRUCTION, MAJOR PROJECTS 
For constructing, altering, extending, and improving any of 
the facilities, including parking projects, under the jurisdiction or 
for the use of the Department of Veterans Affairs, or for any 
of the purposes set forth in sections 316, 2404, 2406 and chapter 
81 of title 38, United States Code, not otherwise provided for, 
including 
planning, 
architectural 
and 
engineering 
services, 
construction management services, maintenance or guarantee 
period services costs associated with equipment guarantees provided 
under the project, services of claims analysts, offsite utility and 
storm drainage system construction costs, and site acquisition, 
where the estimated cost of a project is more than the amount 
set forth in section 8104(a)(3)(A) of title 38, United States Code, 
or where funds for a project were made available in a previous 
major project appropriation, $1,127,486,000, of which $647,486,000 
shall remain available until September 30, 2023, and of which
H. R. 5895—66 
$480,000,000 shall remain available until expended, of which 
$400,000,000 shall be available for seismic improvement projects 
and seismic program management activities, including for projects 
that would otherwise be funded by the Construction, Minor Projects, 
Medical Facilities or National Cemetery Administration accounts: 
Provided, That except for advance planning activities, including 
needs assessments which may or may not lead to capital invest-
ments, and other capital asset management related activities, 
including portfolio development and management activities, and 
investment strategy studies funded through the advance planning 
fund and the planning and design activities funded through the 
design fund, including needs assessments which may or may not 
lead to capital investments, and salaries and associated costs of 
the resident engineers who oversee those capital investments funded 
through this account and contracting officers who manage specific 
major construction projects, and funds provided for the purchase, 
security, and maintenance of land for the National Cemetery 
Administration through the land acquisition line item, none of 
the funds made available under this heading shall be used for 
any project that has not been notified to Congress through the 
budgetary process or that has not been approved by the Congress 
through statute, joint resolution, or in the explanatory statement 
accompanying such Act and presented to the President at the time 
of enrollment: Provided further, That funds made available under 
this heading for fiscal year 2019, for each approved project shall 
be obligated: (1) by the awarding of a construction documents con-
tract by September 30, 2019; and (2) by the awarding of a construc-
tion contract by September 30, 2020: Provided further, That the 
Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall promptly submit to the Commit-
tees on Appropriations of both Houses of Congress a written report 
on any approved major construction project for which obligations 
are not incurred within the time limitations established above: 
Provided further, That notwithstanding the requirements of section 
8104(a) of title 38, United States Code, amounts made available 
under this heading for seismic improvement projects and seismic 
program management activities shall be available for the completion 
of both new and existing seismic projects of the Department. 
CONSTRUCTION, MINOR PROJECTS 
For constructing, altering, extending, and improving any of 
the facilities, including parking projects, under the jurisdiction or 
for the use of the Department of Veterans Affairs, including plan-
ning and assessments of needs which may lead to capital invest-
ments, architectural and engineering services, maintenance or guar-
antee period services costs associated with equipment guarantees 
provided under the project, services of claims analysts, offsite utility 
and storm drainage system construction costs, and site acquisition, 
or for any of the purposes set forth in sections 316, 2404, 2406 
and chapter 81 of title 38, United States Code, not otherwise 
provided for, where the estimated cost of a project is equal to 
or less than the amount set forth in section 8104(a)(3)(A) of title 
38, United States Code, $649,514,000, to remain available until 
September 30, 2023, along with unobligated balances of previous 
‘‘Construction, Minor Projects’’ appropriations which are hereby 
made available for any project where the estimated cost is equal 
to or less than the amount set forth in such section: Provided,
H. R. 5895—67 
That funds made available under this heading shall be for: (1) 
repairs to any of the nonmedical facilities under the jurisdiction 
or for the use of the Department which are necessary because 
of loss or damage caused by any natural disaster or catastrophe; 
and (2) temporary measures necessary to prevent or to minimize 
further loss by such causes. 
GRANTS FOR CONSTRUCTION OF 
STATE EXTENDED CARE FACILITIES 
For grants to assist States to acquire or construct State nursing 
home and domiciliary facilities and to remodel, modify, or alter 
existing hospital, nursing home, and domiciliary facilities in State 
homes, for furnishing care to veterans as authorized by sections 
8131 through 8137 of title 38, United States Code, $150,000,000, 
to remain available until expended. 
GRANTS FOR CONSTRUCTION OF VETERANS CEMETERIES 
For grants to assist States and tribal organizations in estab-
lishing, expanding, or improving veterans cemeteries as authorized 
by section 2408 of title 38, United States Code, $45,000,000, to 
remain available until expended. 
ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS 
(INCLUDING TRANSFER OF FUNDS) 
SEC. 201. Any appropriation for fiscal year 2019 for ‘‘Compensa-
tion and Pensions’’, ‘‘Readjustment Benefits’’, and ‘‘Veterans Insur-
ance and Indemnities’’ may be transferred as necessary to any 
other of the mentioned appropriations: 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 such Committees 
issue an approval, or absent a response, a period of 30 days has 
elapsed. 
(INCLUDING TRANSFER OF FUNDS) 
SEC. 202. Amounts made available for the Department of Vet-
erans Affairs for fiscal year 2019, in this or any other Act, under 
the ‘‘Medical Services’’, ‘‘Medical Community Care’’, ‘‘Medical Sup-
port and Compliance’’, and ‘‘Medical Facilities’’ accounts may be 
transferred among the accounts: Provided, That any transfers 
among the ‘‘Medical Services’’, ‘‘Medical Community Care’’, and 
‘‘Medical Support and Compliance’’ accounts of 1 percent or less 
of the total amount appropriated to the account in this or any 
other Act may take place subject to notification from the Secretary 
of Veterans Affairs to the Committees on Appropriations of both 
Houses of Congress of the amount and purpose of the transfer: 
Provided further, That any transfers among the ‘‘Medical Services’’, 
‘‘Medical Community Care’’, and ‘‘Medical Support and Compliance’’ 
accounts in excess of 1 percent, or exceeding the cumulative 1 
percent for the fiscal year, may take place only after the Secretary 
requests from the Committees on Appropriations of both Houses 
of Congress the authority to make the transfer and an approval 
is issued: Provided further, That any transfers to or from the
H. R. 5895—68 
‘‘Medical Facilities’’ account may take place only after the Secretary 
requests from the Committees on Appropriations of both Houses 
of Congress the authority to make the transfer and an approval 
is issued. 
SEC. 203. Appropriations available in this title for salaries 
and expenses shall be available for services authorized by section 
3109 of title 5, United States Code; hire of passenger motor vehicles; 
lease of a facility or land or both; and uniforms or allowances 
therefore, as authorized by sections 5901 through 5902 of title 
5, United States Code. 
SEC. 204. No appropriations in this title (except the appropria-
tions for ‘‘Construction, Major Projects’’, and ‘‘Construction, Minor 
Projects’’) shall be available for the purchase of any site for or 
toward the construction of any new hospital or home. 
SEC. 205. No appropriations in this title shall be available 
for hospitalization or examination of any persons (except bene-
ficiaries entitled to such hospitalization or examination under the 
laws providing such benefits to veterans, and persons receiving 
such treatment under sections 7901 through 7904 of title 5, United 
States Code, or the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emer-
gency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5121 et seq.)), unless reimburse-
ment of the cost of such hospitalization or examination is made 
to the ‘‘Medical Services’’ account at such rates as may be fixed 
by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs. 
SEC. 206. Appropriations available in this title for ‘‘Compensa-
tion and Pensions’’, ‘‘Readjustment Benefits’’, and ‘‘Veterans Insur-
ance and Indemnities’’ shall be available for payment of prior year 
accrued obligations required to be recorded by law against the 
corresponding prior year accounts within the last quarter of fiscal 
year 2018. 
SEC. 207. Appropriations available in this title shall be available 
to pay prior year obligations of corresponding prior year appropria-
tions accounts resulting from sections 3328(a), 3334, and 3712(a) 
of title 31, United States Code, except that if such obligations 
are from trust fund accounts they shall be payable only from ‘‘Com-
pensation and Pensions’’. 
(INCLUDING TRANSFER OF FUNDS) 
SEC. 208. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, during 
fiscal year 2019, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall, from the 
National Service Life Insurance Fund under section 1920 of title 
38, United States Code, the Veterans’ Special Life Insurance Fund 
under section 1923 of title 38, United States Code, and the United 
States Government Life Insurance Fund under section 1955 of 
title 38, United States Code, reimburse the ‘‘General Operating 
Expenses, Veterans Benefits Administration’’ and ‘‘Information 
Technology Systems’’ accounts for the cost of administration of 
the insurance programs financed through those accounts: Provided, 
That reimbursement shall be made only from the surplus earnings 
accumulated in such an insurance program during fiscal year 2019 
that are available for dividends in that program after claims have 
been paid and actuarially determined reserves have been set aside: 
Provided further, That if the cost of administration of such an 
insurance program exceeds the amount of surplus earnings accumu-
lated in that program, reimbursement shall be made only to the