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In addition, for administrative expenses necessary to 
carry out the direct loan program, $346,000, which may 
be paid to the appropriation for ‘‘General operating ex-
penses, Veterans Benefits Administration’’. 
NATIVE AMERICAN VETERAN HOUSING LOAN PROGRAM 
ACCOUNT 
For administrative expenses to carry out the direct 
loan program authorized by subchapter V of chapter 37 of 
title 38, United States Code, $1,089,000. 
VETERANS HEALTH ADMINISTRATION 
MEDICAL SERVICES 
For necessary expenses for furnishing, as authorized 
by law, inpatient and outpatient care and treatment to 
beneficiaries of the Department of Veterans Affairs and vet-
erans described in section 1705(a) of title 38, United States 
Code, including care and treatment in facilities not under 
the jurisdiction of the Department, and including medical 
supplies and equipment, bioengineering services, food serv-
ices, and salaries and expenses of healthcare employees 
hired under title 38, United States Code, aid to State homes 
as authorized by section 1741 of title 38, United States 
Code, assistance and support services for caregivers as au-
thorized by section 1720G of title 38, United States Code, 
loan repayments authorized by section 604 of the Caregivers 
and Veterans Omnibus Health Services Act of 2010 (Public 
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Law 111–163; 124 Stat. 1174; 38 U.S.C. 7681 note), and 
hospital care and medical services authorized by section 
1787 of title 38, United States Code; $155,000,000, which 
shall be in addition to funds previously appropriated under 
this heading that become available on October 1, 2012; and 
in addition, $43,557,000,000, plus reimbursements, shall 
become available on October 1, 2013, and shall remain 
available until September 30, 2014: Provided, That not-
withstanding any other provision of law, the Secretary of 
Veterans Affairs shall establish a priority for the provision 
of medical treatment for veterans who have service-con-
nected disabilities, lower income, or have special needs: Pro-
vided further, That notwithstanding any other provision of 
law, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall give priority 
funding for the provision of basic medical benefits to vet-
erans in enrollment priority groups 1 through 6: Provided 
further, That notwithstanding any other provision of law, 
the Secretary of Veterans Affairs may authorize the dis-
pensing of prescription drugs from Veterans Health Admin-
istration facilities to enrolled veterans with privately writ-
ten 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. 
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MEDICAL SUPPORT AND COMPLIANCE 
For necessary expenses in the administration of the 
medical, hospital, nursing home, domiciliary, construction, 
supply, and research activities, as authorized by law; ad-
ministrative expenses in support of capital policy activities; 
and administrative and legal expenses of the Department 
for collecting and recovering amounts owed the Department 
as authorized under chapter 17 of title 38, United States 
Code, and the Federal Medical Care Recovery Act (42 
U.S.C. 2651 et seq.); $6,033,000,000, plus reimbursements, 
shall become available on October 1, 2013, and shall remain 
available until September 30, 2014. 
MEDICAL FACILITIES 
For necessary expenses for the maintenance and oper-
ation of hospitals, nursing homes, domiciliary facilities, 
and other necessary facilities of the Veterans Health Admin-
istration; for administrative expenses in support of plan-
ning, design, project management, real property acquisition 
and disposition, construction, and renovation of any facil-
ity under the jurisdiction or for the use of the Department; 
for oversight, engineering, and architectural activities not 
charged to project costs; for repairing, altering, improving, 
or providing facilities in the several hospitals and homes 
under the jurisdiction of the Department, not otherwise pro-
vided for, either by contract or by the hire of temporary 
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employees and purchase of materials; for leases of facilities; 
and for laundry services, $4,872,000,000, plus reimburse-
ments, shall become available on October 1, 2013, and shall 
remain available until September 30, 2014. 
MEDICAL AND PROSTHETIC RESEARCH 
For necessary expenses in carrying out programs of 
medical and prosthetic research and development as author-
ized by chapter 73 of title 38, United States Code, 
$582,674,000, plus reimbursements, shall remain available 
until September 30, 2014. 
NATIONAL CEMETERY ADMINISTRATION 
For necessary expenses of the National Cemetery Ad-
ministration for operations and maintenance, not otherwise 
provided for, including uniforms or allowances therefor; 
cemeterial expenses as authorized by law; purchase of one 
passenger motor vehicle for use in cemeterial operations; 
hire of passenger motor vehicles; and repair, alteration or 
improvement of facilities under the jurisdiction of the Na-
tional Cemetery Administration, $258,284,000, of which 
not to exceed $25,828,000 shall remain available until Sep-
tember 30, 2014: Provided, That none of the funds under 
this heading may be used to expand the Urban Initiative 
project beyond those sites outlined in the fiscal year 2012 
or previous budget submissions or any other rural strategy, 
other than the Rural Initiative included in the fiscal year 
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2013 budget submission, until the Secretary of Veterans Af-
fairs submits to the Committees on Appropriations of both 
Houses of Congress a strategy to serve the burial needs of 
veterans residing in rural and highly rural areas and that 
strategy has been approved by the Committees: Provided 
further, That the strategy shall include: (1) A review of pre-
vious policies of the National Cemetery Administration re-
garding establishment of new national cemeteries, including 
whether the guidelines of the Administration for estab-
lishing national cemetery annexes remain valid; (2) Data 
identifying the number of and geographic areas where rural 
veterans are not currently served by national or existing 
State cemeteries and identification of areas with the largest 
unserved populations, broken down by veterans residing in 
urban versus rural and highly rural; (3) Identification of 
the number of veterans who reside within the 75-mile radius 
of a cemetery that is limited to cremations or of a State 
cemetery which has residency restrictions, as well as an ex-
amination of how many communities that fall under a 75- 
mile radius have an actual driving distance greater than 
75 miles; (4) Reassessment of the gaps in service, factoring 
in the above conditions that limit rural and highly rural 
veteran burial options; (5) An assessment of the adequacy 
of the policy of the Administration on establishing new 
cemeteries proposed in the fiscal year 2013 budget request; 
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(6) Recommendations for an appropriate policy on new na-
tional cemeteries to serve rural or highly rural areas; (7) 
Development of a national map showing the locations and 
number of all unserved veterans; and (8) A time line for 
the implementation of such strategy and cost estimates for 
using the strategy to establish new burial sites in at least 
five rural or highly rural locations: Provided further, That 
the Comptroller General of the United States shall review 
the strategy to ensure that it includes the elements listed 
above: Provided further, That this strategy shall be sub-
mitted no later than 180 days after the date of enactment 
of this Act: Provided further, That the Secretary of Veterans 
Affairs shall issue guidelines on committal services held at 
cemeteries under the jurisdiction of the National Cemetery 
Administration to ensure that: (1) veterans’ families may 
arrange to hold committal services with any religious or 
secular content they desire; (2) the choice by a family of 
an honor guard and the content and presentation of mili-
tary honors may not be interfered with; and (3) attendance 
at committal services by outside organizations dedicated to 
the support of veterans will not be constrained except at 
the request of family members: Provided further, That the 
Department shall not edit, control, or exercise prior re-
straints on the content of religious speech and expression 
by speakers at events at veterans national cemeteries except 
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as provided in section 2413 of title 38, United States Code: 
Provided further, That actions permitted by the foregoing 
provisos shall be subject to compliance with Department se-
curity, safety, and law enforcement regulations. 
DEPARTMENTAL ADMINISTRATION 
GENERAL ADMINISTRATION 
(INCLUDING TRANSFER OF FUNDS) 
For necessary operating expenses of the Department of 
Veterans Affairs, not otherwise provided for, including ad-
ministrative expenses in support of Department-Wide cap-
ital planning, management and policy activities, uniforms, 
or allowances therefor; not to exceed $25,000 for official re-
ception and representation expenses; hire of passenger 
motor vehicles; and reimbursement of the General Services 
Administration for security guard services, $424,737,000, 
of which not to exceed $20,837,000 shall remain available 
until September 30, 2014: Provided, That the Board of Vet-
erans Appeals shall be funded at not less than $86,006,000: 
Provided further, That of the funds made available under 
this heading, such sums as may be necessary shall be avail-
able to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to comply with 
the Department’s energy management requirements under 
section 543(f)(7) of the National Energy Conservation Pol-
icy Act (42 U.S.C. 8253(f)(7)): Provided further, That 
funds provided under this heading may be transferred to 
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‘‘General operating expenses, Veterans Benefits Administra-
tion’’. 
GENERAL OPERATING EXPENSES, VETERANS BENEFITS 
ADMINISTRATION 
For necessary operating expenses of the Veterans Bene-
fits Administration, not otherwise provided for, including 
hire of passenger motor vehicles, reimbursement of the Gen-
eral Services Administration for security guard services, 
and reimbursement of the Department of Defense for the 
cost of overseas employee mail, $2,164,074,000: Provided, 
That expenses for services and assistance authorized under 
paragraphs (1), (2), (5), and (11) of section 3104(a) of title 
38, United States Code, that the Secretary of Veterans Af-
fairs determines are necessary to enable entitled veterans: 
(1) to the maximum extent feasible, to become employable 
and to obtain and maintain suitable employment; or (2) 
to achieve maximum independence in daily living, shall be 
charged to this account: Provided further, That of the funds 
made available under this heading, not to exceed 
$113,000,000 shall remain available until September 30, 
2014. 
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SYSTEMS 
(INCLUDING TRANSFER OF FUNDS) 
For necessary expenses for information technology sys-
tems and telecommunications support, including develop-
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mental information systems and operational information 
systems; for pay and associated costs; and for the capital 
asset acquisition of information technology systems, includ-
ing management and related contractual costs of said ac-
quisitions, including contractual costs associated with oper-
ations authorized by section 3109 of title 5, United States 
Code, $3,327,444,000, plus reimbursements: Provided, That 
$1,021,000,000 shall be for pay and associated costs, of 
which not to exceed $30,630,000 shall remain available 
until September 30, 2014: Provided further, That 
$1,812,045,000 shall be for operations and maintenance, of 
which not to exceed $126,000,000 shall remain available 
until September 30, 2014: Provided further, That 
$494,399,000 shall be for information technology systems 
development, modernization, and enhancement, and shall 
remain available until September 30, 2014: Provided fur-
ther, That amounts made available for information tech-
nology systems development, modernization, and enhance-
ment may not be obligated or expended until the Secretary 
of Veterans Affairs or the Chief Information Officer of the 
Department of Veterans Affairs submits to the Committees 
on Appropriations of both Houses of Congress a certifi-
cation of the amounts, in parts or in full, to be obligated 
and expended for each development project: Provided fur-
ther, That amounts made available for salaries and ex-
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penses, operations and maintenance, and information tech-
nology systems development, modernization, and enhance-
ment may be transferred among the three sub-accounts after 
the Secretary of Veterans Affairs requests from the Commit-
tees on Appropriations of both Houses of Congress the au-
thority to make the transfer and an approval is issued: Pro-
vided further, That amounts made available for the ‘‘Infor-
mation technology systems’’ account for development, mod-
ernization, and enhancement may be transferred between 
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 Com-
mittees on Appropriations 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 of the funds provided for information technology sys-
tems development, modernization, and enhancement for the 
development of a joint Department of Defense—Department 
of Veterans Affairs (DOD–VA) integrated electronic health 
record (iEHR), not more than 25 percent may be obligated 
until the DOD–VA Interagency Program Office submits to 
the Committees on Appropriations of both Houses of Con-
gress, and such Committees approve, a plan for expenditure 
that: (1) defines the budget and cost baseline for develop-
ment of the integrated Electronic Health Record; (2) identi-
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fies the deployment timeline for the system for both Agen-
cies; (3) breaks out annual and total spending for each De-
partment; (4) relays detailed cost-sharing business rules; (5) 
establishes data standardization schedules between the De-
partments; (6) has been submitted to the Government Ac-
countability Office for review; and (7) complies with the 
acquisition rules, requirements, guidelines, and systems ac-
quisition management practices of the Federal Government: 
Provided further, That the funds made available under this 
heading for information technology systems development, 
modernization, and enhancement, shall be for the projects, 
and in the amounts, specified under this heading in the 
explanatory statement described in section 4 (in the matter 
preceding division A of this consolidated Act). 
OFFICE OF INSPECTOR GENERAL 
For necessary expenses of the Office of Inspector Gen-
eral, to include information technology, in carrying out the 
provisions of the Inspector General Act of 1978 (5 U.S.C. 
App.), $115,000,000, of which $6,000,000 shall remain 
available until September 30, 2014. 
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, 
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