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(b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents of this
Act is as follows:
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.
Sec. 2. Reference to title 38, United States Code.
TITLE I—ASSISTANCE TO HOMELESS VETERANS
Sec. 101. Authorization of appropriations.
TITLE II—VETERANS LONG-TERM CARE PROGRAMS
Sec. 201. Assistance for hiring and retention of nurses at State veterans’ homes.
Sec. 202. Treatment of Department of Veterans Affairs per diem payments to
State homes for veterans.
Sec. 203. Extension of authority to provide care under long-term care pilot pro-
grams.
Sec. 204. Prohibition on collection of copayments for hospice care.
TITLE III—MEDICAL CARE
Sec. 301. Sexual trauma counseling program.
Sec. 302. Centers for research, education, and clinical activities on complex
multi-trauma associated with combat injuries.
Sec. 303. Enhancement of medical preparedness of Department of Veterans Af-
fairs.
TITLE IV—MEDICAL FACILITIES MANAGEMENT AND
ADMINISTRATION
Subtitle A—Major Medical Facility Leases
Sec. 401. Major medical facility leases.
Sec. 402. Authorization of appropriations.
Sec. 403. Authority for long-term lease of certain lands of University of Colorado.
Subtitle B—Facilities Management
Sec. 411. Department of Veterans Affairs Capital Asset Fund.
Sec. 412. Annual report to Congress on inventory of Department of Veterans Af-
fairs historic properties.
Sec. 413. Authority to acquire and transfer real property for use for homeless vet-
erans.
Sec. 414. Limitation on implementation of mission changes for specified Veterans
Health Administration facilities.
Sec. 415. Authority to use project funds to construct or relocate surface parking
incidental to a construction or nonrecurring maintenance
project.
Sec. 416. Inapplicability of limitation on use of advance planning funds to au-
thorized major medical facility projects.
Sec. 417. Improvements to enhanced-use lease authority.
Sec. 418. First option for Commonwealth of Kentucky on Department of Veterans
Affairs Medical Center, Louisville, Kentucky.
Sec. 419. Transfer of jurisdiction, General Services Administration property,
Boise, Idaho.
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Subtitle C—Designation of Facilities
Sec. 421. Thomas E. Creek Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center.
Sec. 422. James J. Peters Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center.
Sec. 423. Bob Michel Department of Veterans Affairs Outpatient Clinic.
Sec. 424. Charles Wilson Department of Veterans Affairs Outpatient Clinic.
Sec. 425. Thomas P. Noonan, Jr. Department of Veterans Affairs Outpatient
Clinic.
TITLE V—PERSONNEL ADMINISTRATION
Sec. 501. Pilot program to study innovative recruitment tools to address nursing
shortages at Department of Veterans Affairs health care facili-
ties.
Sec. 502. Technical correction to listing of certain hybrid positions in Veterans
Health Administration.
Sec. 503. Under Secretary for Health.
TITLE VI—OTHER MATTERS
Sec. 601. Extension and codification of authority for recovery audits.
Sec. 602. Inventory of medical waste management activities at Department of
Veterans Affairs health care facilities.
Sec. 603. Inclusion of all enrolled veterans among persons eligible to use canteens
operated by Veterans’ Canteen Service.
Sec. 604. Annual reports on waiting times for appointments for specialty care.
Sec. 605. Technical clarification.
SEC. 2. REFERENCE TO TITLE 38, UNITED STATES CODE.
Except as otherwise expressly provided, whenever in
this Act an amendment or repeal is expressed in terms of
an amendment to, or repeal of, a section or other provision,
the reference shall be considered to be made to a section or
other provision of title 38, United States Code.
TITLE I—ASSISTANCE TO
HOMELESS VETERANS
SEC. 101. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
Section 2013 is amended in paragraph (4) by striking
‘‘$75,000,000’’ and inserting ‘‘$99,000,000’’.
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TITLE II—VETERANS LONG-TERM
CARE PROGRAMS
SEC. 201. ASSISTANCE FOR HIRING AND RETENTION OF
NURSES AT STATE VETERANS’ HOMES.
(a) IN GENERAL.—(1) Chapter 17 is amended by in-
serting after section 1743 the following new section:
‘‘§ 1744. Hiring and retention of nurses: payments to
assist States
‘‘(a) PAYMENT PROGRAM.—The Secretary shall make
payments to States under this section for the purpose of
assisting State homes in the hiring and retention of nurses
and the reduction of nursing shortages at State homes.
‘‘(b) ELIGIBLE RECIPIENTS.—Payments to a State for
a fiscal year under this section shall, subject to submission
of an application, be made to any State that during that
fiscal year—
‘‘(1) receives per diem payments under this sub-
chapter for that fiscal year; and
‘‘(2) has in effect an employee incentive scholar-
ship program or other employee incentive program at
a State home designed to promote the hiring and re-
tention of nursing staff and to reduce nursing short-
ages at that home.
‘‘(c) USE OF FUNDS RECEIVED.—A State may use an
amount received under this section only to provide funds
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for a program described in subsection (b)(2). Any program
shall meet such criteria as the Secretary may prescribe. In
prescribing such criteria, the Secretary shall take into con-
sideration the need for flexibility and innovation.
‘‘(d) LIMITATIONS ON AMOUNT OF PAYMENT.—(1) A
payment under this section may not be used to provide
more than 50 percent of the costs for a fiscal year of the
employee incentive scholarship or other employee incentive
program for which the payment is made.
‘‘(2) The amount of the payment to a State under this
section for any fiscal year is, for each State home in that
State with a program described in subsection (b)(2), the
amount equal to 2 percent of the amount of payments esti-
mated to be made to that State, for that State home, under
section 1741 of this title for that fiscal year.
‘‘(e) APPLICATIONS.—A payment under this section for
any fiscal year with respect to any State home may only
be made based upon an application submitted by the State
seeking the payment with respect to that State home. Any
such application shall describe the nursing shortage at the
State home and the employee incentive scholarship program
or other employee incentive program described in subsection
(c) for which the payment is sought.
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‘‘(f) SOURCE OF FUNDS.—Payments under this section
shall be made from funds available for other payments
under this subchapter.
‘‘(g) DISBURSEMENT.—Payments under this section to
a State home shall be made as part of the disbursement
of payments under section 1741 of this title with respect
to that State home.
‘‘(h) USE
OF CERTAIN RECEIPTS.—The Secretary
shall require as a condition of any payment under this sec-
tion that, in any case in which the State home receives a
refund payment made by an employee in breach of the
terms of an agreement for employee assistance that used
funds provided under this section, the payment shall be re-
turned to the State home’s incentive program account and
credited as a non-Federal funding source.
‘‘(i) ANNUAL REPORT FROM PAYMENT RECIPIENTS.—
Any State home receiving a payment under this section for
any fiscal year, shall, as a condition of the payment, be
required to agree to provide to the Secretary a report setting
forth in detail the use of funds received through the pay-
ment, including a descriptive analysis of how effective the
incentive program has been on nurse staffing in the State
home during that fiscal year. The report for any fiscal year
shall be provided to the Secretary within 60 days of the
close of the fiscal year and shall be subject to audit by the
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Secretary. Eligibility for a payment under this section for
any later fiscal year is contingent upon the receipt by the
Secretary of the annual report under this subsection for the
previous fiscal year in accordance with this subsection.
‘‘(j) REGULATIONS.—The Secretary shall prescribe reg-
ulations to carry out this section. The regulations shall in-
clude the establishment of criteria for the award of pay-
ments under this section.’’.
(2) The table of sections at the beginning of such chap-
ter is amended by inserting after section 1743 the following
new item:
‘‘1744. Hiring and retention of nurses: payments to assist States.’’.
(b) IMPLEMENTATION.—The Secretary of Veterans Af-
fairs shall implement section 1744 of title 38, United States
Code, as added by subsection (a), as expeditiously as pos-
sible. The Secretary shall establish such interim procedures
as necessary so as to ensure that payments are made to
eligible States under that section commencing not later than
June 1, 2005, notwithstanding that regulations under sub-
section (j) of that section may not have become final.
SEC. 202. TREATMENT OF DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AF-
FAIRS PER DIEM PAYMENTS TO STATE HOMES
FOR VETERANS.
Section 1741 is amended by adding at the end the fol-
lowing new subsection:
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‘‘(e) Payments to States pursuant to this section shall
not be considered a liability of a third party, or otherwise
be used to offset or reduce any other payment made to assist
veterans.’’.
SEC. 203. EXTENSION OF AUTHORITY TO PROVIDE CARE
UNDER LONG-TERM CARE PILOT PROGRAMS.
Subsection (h) of section 102 of the Veterans Millen-
nium Health Care and Benefits Act (38 U.S.C. 1710B note)
is amended—
(1) by inserting ‘‘(1)’’ before ‘‘The authority of’’;
and
(2) by adding at the end the following new para-
graph:
‘‘(2) In the case of a veteran who is participating in
a pilot program under this section as of the end of the three-
year period applicable to that pilot program under para-
graph (1), the Secretary may continue to provide to that
veteran any of the services that could be provided under
the pilot program. The authority to provide services to any
veteran under the preceding sentence applies during the pe-
riod beginning on the date specified in paragraph (1) with
respect to that pilot program and ending on December 31,
2005.’’.
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SEC. 204. PROHIBITION ON COLLECTION OF COPAYMENTS
FOR HOSPICE CARE.
Section 1710B(c)(2) is amended—
(1) by striking ‘‘or’’ at the end of subparagraph
(A);
(2) by redesignating subparagraph (B) as sub-
paragraph (C); and
(3) by inserting after subparagraph (A) the fol-
lowing new subparagraph (B):
‘‘(B) to a veteran being furnished hospice care
under this section; or’’.
TITLE III—MEDICAL CARE
SEC. 301. SEXUAL TRAUMA COUNSELING PROGRAM.
(a) PERMANENT AUTHORITY FOR PROGRAM.—Section
1720D(a) is amended—
(1) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘During the
period through December 31, 2004, the’’ and inserting
‘‘The’’; and
(2) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘, during the
period through December 31, 2004,’’.
(b) EXTENSION TO COVER ACTIVE DUTY FOR TRAIN-
ING.—Such section is further amended by inserting ‘‘or ac-
tive duty for training’’ in paragraph (1) before the period
at the end.
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SEC. 302. CENTERS FOR RESEARCH, EDUCATION, AND CLIN-
ICAL ACTIVITIES ON COMPLEX MULTI-TRAU-
MA ASSOCIATED WITH COMBAT INJURIES.
(a) IN GENERAL.—(1) Subchapter II of chapter 73 of
title 38, United States Code, is amended by adding at the
end the following new section:
‘‘§ 7327. Centers for research, education, and clinical
activities on complex multi-trauma associ-
ated with combat injuries
‘‘(a) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this section is to pro-
vide for the improvement of the provision of health care
services and related rehabilitation and education services
to eligible veterans suffering from complex multi-trauma as-
sociated with combat injuries through—
‘‘(1) the development of improved models and
systems for the furnishing by the Department of
health care, rehabilitation, and education services to
veterans;
‘‘(2) the conduct of research to support the provi-
sion of such services in accordance with the most cur-
rent evidence on multi-trauma injuries; and
‘‘(3) the education and training of health care
personnel of the Department with respect to the provi-
sion of such services.
‘‘(b) DESIGNATION OF CENTERS.—(1) The Secretary
shall designate an appropriate number of cooperative cen-
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ters for clinical care, consultation, research, and education
activities on combat injuries.
‘‘(2) Each center designated under paragraph (1) shall
function as a center for—
‘‘(A) research on the long-term effects of injuries
sustained as a result of combat in order to support
the provision of services for such injuries in accord-
ance with the most current evidence on complex
multi-trauma;
‘‘(B) the development of rehabilitation meth-
odologies for treating individuals with complex multi-
trauma; and
‘‘(C) the continuous and consistent coordination
of care from the point of referral throughout the reha-
bilitation process and ongoing follow-up after return
to home and community.
‘‘(3) The Secretary shall designate one of the centers
designated under paragraph (1) as the lead center for ac-
tivities referred to in that paragraph. As the lead center
for such activities, such center shall—
‘‘(A) develop and provide periodic review of re-
search priorities, and implement protocols, to ensure
that projects contribute to the activities of the centers
designated under paragraph (1);
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‘‘(B) oversee the coordination of the professional
and technical activities of such centers to ensure the
quality and validity of the methodologies and statis-
tical services for research project leaders;
‘‘(C) develop and ensure the deployment of an ef-
ficient and cost-effective data management system for
such centers;
‘‘(D) develop and distribute educational mate-
rials and products to enhance the evaluation and care
of individuals with combat injuries by medical care
providers of the Department who are not specialized
in the assessment and care of complex multi-trauma;
‘‘(E) develop educational materials for individ-
uals suffering from combat injuries and for their fam-
ilies; and
‘‘(F) serve as a resource for the clinical and re-
search infrastructure of such centers by disseminating
clinical outcomes and research findings to improve
clinical practice.
‘‘(4) The Secretary shall designate centers under para-
graph (1) upon the recommendation of the Under Secretary
for Health.
‘‘(5) The Secretary may designate a center under para-
graph (1) only if the center meets the requirements of sub-
section (c).
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‘‘(c) REQUIREMENTS FOR CENTERS.—To be designated
as a center under this section, a facility shall—
‘‘(1) be a regional lead center for the care of
traumatic brain injury;
‘‘(2) be located at a tertiary care medical center
and have on-site availability of primary and sub-
specialty medical services relating to complex multi-
trauma;
‘‘(3) have, or have the capacity to develop, the
capability of managing impairments associated with
combat injuries;
‘‘(4) be affiliated with a school of medicine;
‘‘(5) have, or have experience with, participation
in clinical research trials;
‘‘(6) provide amputation care and rehabilitation;
‘‘(7) have pain management programs;
‘‘(8) provide comprehensive brain injury reha-
bilitation; and
‘‘(9) provide comprehensive general rehabilita-
tion.
‘‘(d) ADDITIONAL RESOURCES.—The Secretary shall
provide each center designated under this section such re-
sources as the Secretary determines to be required by such
center to achieve adequate capability of managing individ-
uals with complex multi-trauma, including—
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‘‘(1) the upgrading of blind rehabilitation serv-
ices by employing or securing the services of blind re-
habilitation specialists;
‘‘(2) employing or securing the services of occu-
pational therapists with blind rehabilitation training;
‘‘(3) employing or securing the services of addi-
tional mental health services providers; and
‘‘(4) employing or securing additional rehabili-
tation nursing staff to meet care needs.
‘‘(e) COOPERATION
WITH
DEPARTMENT
OF
DE-
FENSE.—(1) The Secretary of Veterans Affairs may assist
the Secretary of Defense in the care of members of the
Armed Forces with complex multi-trauma at military
treatment facilities by—
‘‘(A) making available, in a manner that the
Secretary of Veterans Affairs considers appropriate,
certified rehabilitation registered nurses of the De-
partment of Veterans Affairs to such facilities to as-
sess and coordinate the care of such members; and
‘‘(B) making available, in a manner that the
Secretary of Veterans Affairs considers appropriate,
blind rehabilitation specialists of the Department of
Veterans Affairs to such facilities to consult with the
medical staff of such facilities on the special needs of
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such members who have visual impairment as a con-
sequence of combat injury.
‘‘(2) Assistance shall be provided under this subsection
through agreements for the sharing of health-care resources
under section 8111 of this title.
‘‘(f) AWARD OF FUNDING.—Centers designated under
this section may compete for the award of funding from
amounts appropriated for the Department for medical and
prosthetics research.
‘‘(g) DISSEMINATION
OF
INFORMATION.—(1) The
Under Secretary for Health shall ensure that information
produced by the centers designated under this section that
may be useful for other activities of the Veterans Health
Administration is disseminated throughout the Administra-
tion.
‘‘(2) Information shall be disseminated under this sub-
section through publications, through programs of con-
tinuing medical and related education provided through re-
gional medical education centers under subchapter VI of
chapter 74 of this title, and through other means.
‘‘(h) NATIONAL OVERSIGHT.—The Under Secretary for
Health shall designate an appropriate officer to oversee the
operation of the centers designated under this section and
provide for periodic evaluation of the centers.
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‘‘(i) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—(1) There
are authorized to be appropriated to the Department of Vet-
erans Affairs for the centers designated under this section
amounts as follows:
‘‘(A) $7,000,000 for fiscal year 2005.
‘‘(B) $8,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2006
through 2008.
‘‘(2) In addition to amounts authorized to be appro-
priated by paragraph (1) for a fiscal year, the Under Sec-
retary for Health may allocate to each center designated
under this section, from other funds authorized to be appro-
priated for such fiscal year for the Department generally
for medical and for medical and prosthetic research, such
amounts as the Under Secretary for Health determines ap-
propriate to carry out the purposes of this section.’’.
(2) The table of sections at the beginning of chapter
73 is amended by inserting after the item relating to section
7326 the following new item:
‘‘7327. Centers for research, education, and clinical activities on complex multi-
trauma associated with combat injuries.’’.
(b) DESIGNATION OF CENTERS.—The Secretary of Vet-
erans Affairs shall designate the centers for research, edu-
cation, and clinical activities on complex multi-trauma as-
sociated with combat injuries required by section 7327 of
title 38, United States Code (as added by subsection (a)),
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not later than 120 days after the date of the enactment of
this Act.
(c) ANNUAL REPORTS.—(1) Not later than eighteen
months after the date of the designation of centers for re-
search, education, and clinical activities on complex multi-
trauma associated with combat injuries required by section
7327 of title 38, United States Code (as so added), and an-
nually thereafter through 2008, the Secretary shall submit
to the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate and
House of Representatives a report on the status and activi-
ties of such centers during the one-year period beginning
on the date of such designation, for the first such report,
and for successive one-year periods, for subsequent reports.
(2) Each such report shall include, for the period cov-
ered by such report, the following:
(A) A description of the activities carried out at
each center, and the funding provided for such activi-
ties.
(B) A description of any advances made in the
participating programs of each center in research,
education, training, and clinical activities on com-
plex multi-trauma associated with combat injuries.
(C) A description of the actions taken by the
Under Secretary for Health pursuant to subsection
(g) of that section (as so added) to disseminate
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throughout the Veterans Health Administration infor-
mation derived from such activities.
SEC. 303. ENHANCEMENT OF MEDICAL PREPAREDNESS OF
DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS.
(a) PEER REVIEW PANEL.—In order to assist the Sec-
retary of Veterans Affairs in selecting facilities of the De-
partment of Veterans Affairs to serve as sites for centers
under section 7328 of title 38, United States Code, as added
by subsection (c), the Secretary shall establish a peer review
panel to assess the scientific and clinical merit of proposals
that are submitted to the Secretary for the selection of such
facilities. The panel shall be established not later than 90
days after the date of the enactment of this Act and shall
include experts in the fields of toxicological research, infec-
tious diseases, radiology, clinical care of veterans exposed
to such hazards, and other persons as determined appro-
priate by the Secretary. Members of the panel shall serve
as consultants to the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Amounts available to the Secretary for Medical Care may
be used for purposes of carrying out this subsection. The
panel shall not be subject to the Federal Advisory Com-
mittee Act (5 U.S.C. App.).
(b) PROPOSALS.—The Secretary shall solicit proposals
for designation of facilities as described in subsection (a).
The announcement of the solicitation of such proposals shall
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be issued not later than 60 days after the date of the enact-
ment of this Act, and the deadline for the submission of
proposals in response to such solicitation shall be not later
than 90 days after the date of such announcement. The peer
review panel established under subsection (a) shall complete
its review of the proposals and submit its recommendations
to the Secretary not later than 60 days after the date of
the deadline for the submission of proposals. The Secretary
shall then select the four sites for the location of such centers
not later than 45 days after the date on which the peer
review panel submits its recommendations to the Secretary.
(c) REVISED SECTION.—(1) Subchapter II of chapter
73 is amended by inserting after section 7327, as added
by section 302(a)(1) of this Act, a new section with—
(A) a heading as follows:
‘‘§ 7328. Medical preparedness centers’’; and
(B) a text consisting of the text of subsections (a)
through (h) of section 7325 of title 38, United States
Code, and a subsection (i) at the end as follows:
‘‘(i) FUNDING.—(1) There are authorized to be appro-
priated for the centers under this section $10,000,000 for
each of fiscal years 2005 through 2007.
‘‘(2) In addition to any amounts appropriated for a
fiscal year specifically for the activities of the centers pursu-
ant to paragraph (1), the Under Secretary for Health shall
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allocate to the centers from other funds appropriated for
that fiscal year generally for the Department medical care
account and the Department medical and prosthetic re-
search account such amounts as the Under Secretary deter-
mines necessary in order to carry out the purposes of this
section.’’.
(2) The table of sections at the beginning of chapter
73 is amended by inserting after the item relating to section
7327, as added by section 302(a)(2) of this Act, the fol-
lowing new item:
‘‘7328. Medical preparedness centers.’’.
TITLE IV—MEDICAL FACILITIES
MANAGEMENT AND ADMINIS-
TRATION
Subtitle A—Major Medical Facility
Leases
SEC. 401. MAJOR MEDICAL FACILITY LEASES.
The Secretary of Veterans Affairs may enter into con-
tracts for major medical facility leases at the following loca-
tions, in an amount for each facility lease not to exceed
the amount shown for that location:
(1) Wilmington, North Carolina, Outpatient
Clinic, $1,320,000.
(2) Greenville, North Carolina, Outpatient Clin-
ic, $1,220,000.
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(3) 
Norfolk, 
Virginia, 
Outpatient 
Clinic,
$1,250,000.
(4) Summerfield, Florida, Marion County Out-
patient Clinic, $1,230,000.
(5) Knoxville, Tennessee, Outpatient Clinic,
$850,000.
(6) Toledo, Ohio, Outpatient Clinic, $1,200,000.
(7) Crown Point, Indiana, Outpatient Clinic,
$850,000.
(8) Fort Worth, Texas, Tarrant County Out-
patient Clinic, $3,900,000.
(9) Plano, Texas, Collin County Outpatient
Clinic, $3,300,000.
(10) San Antonio, Texas, Northeast Central
Bexar County Outpatient Clinic, $1,400,000.
(11) Corpus Christi, Texas, Outpatient Clinic,
$1,200,000.
(12) 
Harlingen, 
Texas, 
Outpatient 
Clinic,
$650,000.
(13) Denver, Colorado, Health Administration
Center, $1,950,000.
(14) Oakland, California, Outpatient Clinic,
$1,700,000.
(15) San Diego, California, North County Out-
patient Clinic, $1,300,000.
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(16) San Diego, California, South County Out-
patient Clinic, $1,100,000.
SEC. 402. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
There is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary
of Veterans Affairs for fiscal year 2005 for the Medical Care
account, $24,420,000 for the leases authorized in section
401.
SEC. 403. AUTHORITY FOR LONG-TERM LEASE OF CERTAIN
LANDS OF UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO.
Notwithstanding section 8103 of title 38, United States
Code, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs may enter into a
lease for real property located at the Fitzsimmons Campus
of the University of Colorado for purposes of a medical fa-
cility (as that term is defined in section 8101 of title 38,
United States Code) for a period of up to 75 years.
Subtitle B—Facilities Management
SEC. 411. DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS CAPITAL
ASSET FUND.
(a) ESTABLISHMENT OF FUND.—(1) Subchapter I of
chapter 81 is amended by adding at the end the following
new section:
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‘‘§ 8118. Authority for transfer of real property; De-
partment of Veterans Affairs Capital
Asset Fund
‘‘(a)(1) The Secretary may transfer real property
under the jurisdiction or control of the Secretary (including
structures and equipment associated therewith) to another
department or agency of the United States, to a State (or
a political subdivision of a State), or to any public or pri-
vate entity, including an Indian tribe. Such a transfer may
be made only if the Secretary receives compensation of not
less than the fair market value of the property, except that
no compensation is required, or compensation at less than
fair market value may be accepted, in the case of a transfer
to a grant and per diem provider (as defined in section
2002 of this title). When a transfer is made to a grant and
per diem provider for less than fair market value, the Sec-
retary shall require in the terms of the conveyance that if
the property transferred is used for any purpose other than
a purpose under chapter 20 of this title, all right, title, and
interest to the property shall revert to the United States.
‘‘(2) The Secretary may exercise the authority pro-
vided by this section notwithstanding sections 521, 522, and
541 through 545 of title 40. Any such transfer shall be in
accordance with this section and section 8122 of this title.
‘‘(3) The authority provided by this section may not
be used in a case to which section 8164 of this title applies.
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‘‘(4) The Secretary may enter into partnerships or
agreements with public or private entities dedicated to his-
toric preservation to facilitate the transfer, leasing, or
adaptive use of structures or properties specified in sub-
section (b)(3)(D).
‘‘(5) The authority of the Secretary under paragraph
(1) expires on the date that is seven years after the date
of the enactment of this section.
‘‘(b)(1) There is established in the Treasury of the
United States a revolving fund to be known as the Depart-
ment of Veterans Affairs Capital Asset Fund (hereinafter
in this section referred to as the ‘Fund’). Amounts in the
Fund shall remain available until expended.
‘‘(2) Proceeds from the transfer of real property under
this section shall be deposited into the Fund.
‘‘(3) To the extent provided in advance in appropria-
tions Acts, amounts in the Fund may be expended for the
following purposes:
‘‘(A) Costs associated with the transfer of real
property under this section, including costs of demoli-
tion, environmental remediation, maintenance and
repair, improvements to facilitate the transfer, and
administrative expenses.
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‘‘(B) Costs, including costs specified in subpara-
graph (A), associated with future transfers of prop-
erty under this section.
‘‘(C) Costs associated with enhancing medical
care services to veterans by improving, renovating, re-
placing, updating, or establishing patient care facili-
ties through construction projects to be carried out for
an amount less than the amount specified in
8104(a)(3)(A) for a major medical facility project.
‘‘(D) Costs, including costs specified in subpara-
graph (A), associated with the transfer, lease, or
adaptive use of a structure or other property under
the jurisdiction of the Secretary that is listed on the
National Register of Historic Places.
‘‘(c) The Secretary shall include in the budget justifica-
tion materials submitted to Congress for any fiscal year in
support of the President’s budget for that fiscal year for the
Department specification of the following:
‘‘(1) The real property transfers to be undertaken
in accordance with this section during that fiscal
year.
‘‘(2) All transfers completed under this section
during the preceding fiscal year and completed and
scheduled to be completed during the fiscal year dur-
ing which the budget is submitted.
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‘‘(3) The deposits into, and expenditures from,
the Fund that are incurred or projected for each of the
preceding fiscal year, the current fiscal year, and the
fiscal year covered by the budget.’’.
(2) The table of sections at the beginning of such chap-
ter is amended by inserting after the item relating to section
8117 the following new item:
‘‘8118. Authority for transfer of real property; Department of Veterans Affairs
Capital Asset Fund.’’.
(b) INITIAL AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—
There is authorized to be appropriated to the Department
of Veterans Affairs Capital Asset Fund established under
section 8118 of title 38, United States Code (as added by
subsection (a)), the amount of $10,000,000.
(c) TERMINATION
OF NURSING HOME REVOLVING
FUND.—(1) Section 8116 is repealed.
(2) The table of sections at the beginning of chapter
81 is amended by striking the item relating to section 8116.
(d) TRANSFER OF UNOBLIGATED BALANCES TO CAP-
ITAL ASSET FUND.—Any unobligated balances in the nurs-
ing home revolving fund under section 8116 of title 38,
United States Code, as of the date of the enactment of this
Act shall be deposited in the Department of Veterans Affairs
Capital Asset Fund established under section 8118 of title
38, United States Code (as added by subsection (a)).
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(e) PROCEDURES APPLICABLE TO TRANSFERS.—(1)
Paragraph (2) of section 8122(a) is amended to read as
follows:
‘‘(2) Except as provided in paragraph (3), the Sec-
retary may not during any fiscal year transfer to any other
department or agency of the United States or to any other
entity real property that is owned by the United States and
administered by the Secretary unless the proposed transfer
is described in the budget submitted to Congress pursuant
to section 1105 of title 31 for that fiscal year.’’.
(2) Section 8122(d) is amended—
(A) by inserting ‘‘(1)’’ before ‘‘Real property’’;
and
(B) by adding at the end the following new
paragraph:
‘‘(2) The Secretary may transfer real property under
this section, or under section 8118 of this title, if the
Secretary—
‘‘(A) places a notice in the real estate section of
local newspapers and in the Federal Register of the
Secretary’s intent to transfer that real property (in-
cluding land, structures, and equipment associated
with the property);
‘‘(B) holds a public hearing;
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‘‘(C) provides notice to the Administrator of
General Services of the Secretary’s intention to trans-
fer that real property and waits for 30 days to elapse
after providing that notice; and
‘‘(D) after such 30-day period has elapsed, noti-
fies the congressional veterans’ affairs committees of
the Secretary’s intention to dispose of the property
and waits for 60 days to elapse from the date of that
notice.’’.
(3) Section 8164(a) is amended by inserting ‘‘8118 or’’
after ‘‘rather than under section’’.
(4) Section 8165(a)(2) is amended by striking ‘‘nurs-
ing home revolving fund’’ and inserting ‘‘Department of
Veterans Affairs Capital Asset Fund established under sec-
tion 8118 of this title’’.
(f) CONTINGENT EFFECTIVENESS.—Subsection (d) and
the amendments made by subsection (c) shall take effect at
the end of the 30-day period beginning on the date on which
the Secretary of Veterans Affairs certifies to Congress that
the Secretary is in compliance with subsection (b) of section
1710B of title 38, United States Code.
(g) ANNUAL
UPDATE.—Following a certification
under subsection (f), the Secretary shall submit to Congress
an annual update on that certification.
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SEC. 412. ANNUAL REPORT TO CONGRESS ON INVENTORY
OF DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS HIS-
TORIC PROPERTIES.
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than December 15 of
2005, 2006, and 2007, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs
shall submit to the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs of the
Senate and House of Representatives a report on the his-
toric properties administered or controlled by the Secretary.
(b) INITIAL REPORT.—In the initial report under sub-
section (a), the Secretary shall set forth a complete inven-
tory of the historic structures and property under the juris-
diction of the Secretary. The report shall include a descrip-
tion and classification of each such property based upon
historical nature, current physical condition, and potential
for transfer, leasing, or adaptive use.
(c) SUBSEQUENT REPORTS.—In reports under sub-
section (a) after the initial report, the Secretary shall pro-
vide an update of the status of each property identified in
the initial report, with the proposed and actual disposition,
if any, of each property. Each such report shall include any
recommendation of the Secretary for legislation to enhance
the transfer, leasing, or adaptive use of such properties.
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SEC. 413. AUTHORITY TO ACQUIRE AND TRANSFER REAL
PROPERTY FOR USE FOR HOMELESS VET-
ERANS.
(a) AUTHORITY.—Upon identification of a parcel of
real property meeting the description in subsection (b), the
Secretary of Veterans Affairs may acquire that property
(with the structures and improvements thereon) or, in the
case of property owned by the United States and adminis-
tered by another Federal department or agency, may accept
administrative jurisdiction over that property, with the ex-
pectation of promptly transferring that property to a home-
less assistance provider identified under paragraph (2) of
subsection (b), subject to the condition that the primary
purpose for which the property shall be used is to provide
housing for homeless veterans.
(b) SPECIFIED PROPERTY.—A parcel of real property
referred to in subsection (a) is a parcel in the District of
Columbia—
(1) that the Secretary determines to be suitable
for use for housing for homeless veterans; and
(2) for which there is an identified homeless as-
sistance provider that is prepared to acquire the
property for such purpose from the Secretary prompt-
ly upon the acquisition of the property by the Sec-
retary.
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(c) TRANSFER OF PROPERTY.—Upon acquiring real
property under subsection (a), the Secretary shall imme-
diately transfer all right, title, and interest of the United
States (other than the reversionary interest retained under
subsection (e)) to the homeless assistance provider identified
under subsection (b)(2). Such transfer shall be for such con-
sideration as the Secretary determines appropriate.
(d) TERMS AND CONDITIONS.—The acquisition and
transfer of real property under this section shall be made
upon such terms and conditions as the Secretary may speci-
fy not inconsistent with other applicable provisions of law.
(e) REVERTER.—The terms of the transfer shall pro-
vide that if the property is no longer used for the purpose
for which conveyed by the Secretary, title to the property
shall revert to the United States.
SEC. 414. LIMITATION ON IMPLEMENTATION OF MISSION
CHANGES FOR SPECIFIED VETERANS HEALTH
ADMINISTRATION FACILITIES.
(a) LIMITATION.—The Secretary of Veterans Affairs
may not implement a mission change for a medical facility
of the Department of Veterans Affairs specified in sub-
section (c) until—
(1) the Secretary submits to the Committees on
Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate and House of Rep-
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resentatives a written notice of the mission change;
and
(2) the period prescribed by subsection (b) has
elapsed.
(b) CONGRESSIONAL REVIEW PERIOD.—(1) The period
referred to in subsection (a)(2) is the period beginning on
the date of the receipt of the notice under subsection (a)(1)
by the committees specified in that subsection and ending
on the later of—
(A) the end of the 60-day period beginning on
the date on which the notice is received by those com-
mittees; or
(B) the end of a period of 30 days of continuous
session of Congress beginning on the date on which
the notification is received by those committees or, if
either House of Congress is not in session on such
date, the first day after such date that both Houses
of Congress are in session.
(2) For the purposes of paragraph (1)(B)—
(A) the continuity of a session of Congress is bro-
ken only by an adjournment of Congress sine die; and
(B) any day on which either House is not in ses-
sion because of an adjournment of more than three
days to a day certain is excluded in the computation
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of any period of time in which Congress is in contin-
uous session.
(c) SPECIFIED FACILITIES.—A facility referred to in
subsection (a) as being specified in this subsection is any
of the following facilities of the Department of Veterans Af-
fairs:
(1) The Department of Veterans Affairs medical
centers in Boston, Massachusetts.
(2) The Department of Veterans Affairs medical
centers in New York City, New York.
(3) The Department of Veterans Affairs medical
center in Big Spring, Texas.
(4) The Carl Vinson Department of Veterans Af-
fairs Medical Center, Dublin, Georgia.
(5) The Department of Veterans Affairs medical
center in Montgomery, Alabama.
(6) The Department of Veterans Affairs medical
center in Louisville, Kentucky.
(7) The Department of Veterans Affairs medical
center in Muskogee Oklahoma, and the outpatient
clinic in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
(8) The John J. Pershing Department of Vet-
erans Affairs Medical Center, Poplar Bluff, Missouri.
(9) The Department of Veterans Affairs medical
center in Ft. Wayne, Indiana.
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(10) The Department of Veterans Affairs Medical
Center in Waco, Texas.
(11) The Jonathan M. Wainwright Department
of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Walla Walla,
Washington.
(d) COVERED MISSION CHANGES.—For purposes of
this section, a mission change for a medical facility shall
consist of any of the following:
(1) Closure of the facility.
(2) Consolidation of the facility.
(3) An administrative reorganization of the fa-
cility covered by section 510(b) of title 38, United
States Code.
(e) REQUIRED CONTENT
OF NOTICE
OF MISSION
CHANGE.—Written notice of a mission change for a medical
facility under subsection (a) shall include the following:
(1) An assessment of the effect of the mission
change on the population of veterans served by the fa-
cility.
(2) A description of the availability and quality
of health care, including long-term care, mental
health care, and substance abuse programs, available
in the area served by the facility.
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(3) An assessment of the effect of the mission
change on the economy of the community in which the
facility is located.
(4) An analysis of any alternatives to the mis-
sion change proposed by—
(A) the community in which the facility is
located;
(B) organizations recognized by the Sec-
retary under section 5902 of title 38, United
States Code;
(C) organizations that represent Depart-
ment employees in such community; or
(D) the Department.
(f) MEDICAL FACILITY CONSOLIDATION.—For the pur-
poses of subsection (d)(2), the term ‘‘consolidation’’ means
an action that closes one or more medical facilities within
a geographic service area for the purpose of relocating those
activities to another medical facility or facilities.
(g) COORDINATION OF PROVISIONS.—In the case of a
mission change covered by subsection (a) that is also an
administrative reorganization covered by section 510(b) of
title 38, United States Code, both this section and such sec-
tion 510(b) shall apply with respect to the implementation
of that mission change.
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SEC. 415. AUTHORITY TO USE PROJECT FUNDS TO CON-
STRUCT OR RELOCATE SURFACE PARKING IN-
CIDENTAL TO A CONSTRUCTION OR NON-
RECURRING MAINTENANCE PROJECT.
Section 8109 is amended by adding at the end the fol-
lowing new subsection:
‘‘(j) Funds in a construction account or capital ac-
count that are available for a construction project or a non-
recurring maintenance project may be used for the construc-
tion or relocation of a surface parking lot incidental to that
project.’’.
SEC. 416. INAPPLICABILITY OF LIMITATION ON USE OF AD-
VANCE PLANNING FUNDS TO AUTHORIZED
MAJOR MEDICAL FACILITY PROJECTS.
Section 8104 is amended by adding at the end the fol-
lowing new subsection:
‘‘(g) The limitation in subsection (f) does not apply
to a project for which funds have been authorized by law
in accordance with subsection (a)(2).’’.
SEC. 417. IMPROVEMENTS TO ENHANCED-USE LEASE AU-
THORITY.
Section 8166(a) is amended by inserting ‘‘land use,’’
in the second sentence after ‘‘relating to’’.
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SEC. 418. FIRST OPTION FOR COMMONWEALTH OF KEN-
TUCKY ON DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AF-
FAIRS MEDICAL CENTER, LOUISVILLE, KEN-
TUCKY.
(a) REQUIREMENT.—Upon determining to convey,
lease, or otherwise dispose of the Department of Veterans
Affairs Medical Center, Louisville, Kentucky, or any por-
tion thereof, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall engage
in negotiations for the conveyance, lease, or other disposal
of the Medical Center or portion thereof solely with the Com-
monwealth of Kentucky.
(b) DURATION OF REQUIREMENT.—The requirement
for negotiations under subsection (a) shall remain in effect
for one year after the date of the determination referred to
in that subsection.
(c) SCOPE OF NEGOTIATIONS.—The negotiations under
subsection (a) shall address the use of the medical center
referred to in subsection (a), or portion thereof, by the Com-
monwealth of Kentucky for the primary purpose of the pro-
vision of services for veterans and related activities, includ-
ing use for a State veterans’ home.
SEC. 419. TRANSFER OF JURISDICTION, GENERAL SERV-
ICES ADMINISTRATION PROPERTY, BOISE,
IDAHO.
(a) TRANSFER.—The Administrator of General Serv-
ices shall transfer to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs,
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under such terms and conditions as the Administrator and
the Secretary agree, jurisdiction, custody, and control over
the parcel of real property, including any improvements
thereon, consisting of approximately 2.3 acres located at the
General Services Administration facility immediately north
of the Army Reserve facility in Boise, Idaho.
(b) UTILIZATION.—The Secretary of Veterans Affairs
shall utilize the property transferred under subsection (a)
for purposes relating to the delivery of benefits to veterans.
Subtitle C—Designation of
Facilities
SEC. 421. THOMAS E. CREEK DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS
AFFAIRS MEDICAL CENTER.
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Department of Veterans Affairs
medical center in Amarillo, Texas, shall after the date of
the enactment of this Act be known and designated as the
‘‘Thomas E. Creek Department of Veterans Affairs Medical
Center’’.
(b) REFERENCES.—Any reference in any law, regula-
tion, map, document, record, or other paper of the United
States to the medical center referred to in subsection (a)
shall be considered to be a reference to the Thomas E. Creek
Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center.
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SEC. 422. JAMES J. PETERS DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AF-
FAIRS MEDICAL CENTER.
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Department of Veterans Affairs
medical center in the Bronx, New York, shall after the date
of the enactment of this Act be known and designated as
the ‘‘James J. Peters Department of Veterans Affairs Med-
ical Center’’.
(b) REFERENCES.—Any reference in any law, regula-
tion, map, document, record, or other paper of the United
States to the medical center referred to in subsection (a)
shall be considered to be a reference to the James J. Peters
Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center.
SEC. 423. BOB MICHEL DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AF-
FAIRS OUTPATIENT CLINIC.
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Department of Veterans Affairs
outpatient clinic located in Peoria, Illinois, shall after the
date of the enactment of this Act be known and designated
as the ‘‘Bob Michel Department of Veterans Affairs Out-
patient Clinic’’.
(b) REFERENCES.—Any reference in any law, regula-
tion, map, document, record, or other paper of the United
States to the outpatient clinic referred to in subsection (a)
shall be considered to be a reference to the Bob Michel De-
partment of Veterans Affairs Outpatient Clinic.
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SEC. 424. CHARLES WILSON DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS
AFFAIRS OUTPATIENT CLINIC.
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Department of Veterans Affairs
outpatient clinic located in Lufkin, Texas, shall after the
date of the enactment of this Act be known and designated
as the ‘‘Charles Wilson Department of Veterans Affairs Out-
patient Clinic’’.
(b) REFERENCES.—Any reference in any law, regula-
tion, map, document, record, or other paper of the United
States to the outpatient clinic referred to in subsection (a)
shall be considered to be a reference to the Charles Wilson
Department of Veterans Affairs Outpatient Clinic.
SEC. 425. THOMAS P. NOONAN, JR. DEPARTMENT OF VET-
ERANS AFFAIRS OUTPATIENT CLINIC.
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Department of Veterans Affairs
outpatient clinic in Sunnyside, Queens, New York, shall
after the date of the enactment of this Act be known and
designated as the ‘‘Thomas P. Noonan, Jr. Department of
Veterans Affairs Outpatient Clinic’’.
(b) REFERENCES.—Any reference in any law, map,
regulation, document, paper, or other record of the United
States to the outpatient clinic referred to in subsection (a)
shall be considered to be a reference to the Thomas P.
Noonan, Jr. Department of Veterans Affairs Outpatient
Clinic.
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TITLE V—PERSONNEL
ADMINISTRATION
SEC. 501. PILOT PROGRAM TO STUDY INNOVATIVE RE-
CRUITMENT TOOLS TO ADDRESS NURSING
SHORTAGES AT DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS
AFFAIRS HEALTH CARE FACILITIES.
(a) PILOT PROGRAM.—(1) Not later than 90 days after
the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Vet-
erans Affairs shall designate a health care service region,
or a section within such a region, in which health care fa-
cilities of the Department of Veterans Affairs are adversely
affected by a shortage of qualified nurses.
(2) The Secretary shall conduct a pilot program in
the region or section designated under paragraph (1) to de-
termine the effectiveness of the use of innovative human cap-
ital tools and techniques in the recruitment of qualified
nurses for positions at Department health care facilities in
such region or section and for the retention of nurses at
such facilities. In carrying out the pilot program, the Sec-
retary shall enter into a contract with a private sector enti-
ty for services under the pilot program for recruitment of
qualified nurses.
(b) PRIVATE SECTOR RECRUITMENT PRACTICES.—For
purposes of the pilot program under this section, the Sec-
retary shall identify and use recruitment practices that
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have proven effective for placing qualified individuals in
positions that are difficult to fill due to shortages of quali-
fied individuals or other factors. Recruitment practices to
be reviewed by the Secretary for use in the pilot program
shall include—
(1) employer branding and interactive adver-
tising strategies;
(2) Internet technologies and automated staffing
systems; and
(3) the use of recruitment, advertising, and com-
munication agencies.
(c) STREAMLINED HIRING PROCESS.—In carrying out
the pilot program under this section, the Secretary shall,
at health care facilities of the Department in the region or
section in which the pilot program is conducted, revise pro-
cedures and systems for selecting and hiring qualified
nurses to reduce the length of the hiring process. If the Sec-
retary identifies measures to streamline and automate the
hiring process that can only be implemented if authorized
by law, the Secretary shall submit to the Committees on
Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate and House of Representa-
tives recommendations for such changes in law as may be
necessary to enable such measures to be implemented.
(d) REPORT.—Not later than one year after the date
of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to
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the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate and
House of Representatives a report on the extent to which
the pilot program achieved the goal of improving the re-
cruitment and retention of nurses in Department of Vet-
erans Affairs health care facilities.
SEC. 502. TECHNICAL CORRECTION TO LISTING OF CER-
TAIN 
HYBRID 
POSITIONS 
IN 
VETERANS
HEALTH ADMINISTRATION.
Section 7401(3) is amended—
(1) by striking ‘‘and dental technologists’’ and
inserting ‘‘technologists, dental hygienists, dental as-
sistants’’; and
(2) 
by 
striking 
‘‘technicians, 
therapeutic
radiologic technicians, and social workers’’ and in-
serting ‘‘technologists, therapeutic radiologic tech-
nologists, social workers, blind rehabilitation special-
ists, and blind rehabilitation outpatient specialists’’.
SEC. 503. UNDER SECRETARY FOR HEALTH.
Section 305(a)(2) is amended—
(1) in the matter preceding subparagraph (A),
by striking ‘‘shall be a doctor of medicine and’’; and
(2) in subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘and in
health-care’’ and inserting ‘‘or in health-care’’.
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TITLE VI—OTHER MATTERS
SEC. 601. EXTENSION AND CODIFICATION OF AUTHORITY
FOR RECOVERY AUDITS.
Section 1703 is amended by adding at the end the fol-
lowing new subsection:
‘‘(d)(1) The Secretary shall conduct a program of re-
covery audits for fee basis contracts and other medical serv-
ices contracts for the care of veterans under this section,
and for beneficiaries under sections 1781, 1782, and 1783
of this title, with respect to overpayments resulting from
processing or billing errors or fraudulent charges in pay-
ments for non-Department care and services. The program
shall be conducted by contract.
‘‘(2) Amounts collected, by setoff or otherwise, as the
result of an audit under the program conducted under this
subsection shall be available for the purposes for which
funds are currently available to the Secretary for medical
care and for payment to a contractor of a percentage of
the amount collected as a result of an audit carried out
by the contractor.
‘‘(3) The Secretary shall allocate all amounts collected
under this subsection with respect to a designated geo-
graphic service area of the Veterans Health Administration,
net of payments to the contractor, to that region.
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‘‘(4) The authority of the Secretary under this sub-
section terminates on September 30, 2008.’’.
SEC. 602. INVENTORY OF MEDICAL WASTE MANAGEMENT
ACTIVITIES AT DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS
AFFAIRS HEALTH CARE FACILITIES.
(a) INVENTORY.—The Secretary of Veterans Affairs
shall establish and maintain a national inventory of med-
ical waste management activities in the health care facili-
ties of the Department of Veterans Affairs. The inventory
shall include the following:
(1) A statement of the current national policy of
the Department on managing and disposing of med-
ical waste, including regulated medical waste in all
its forms.
(2) A description of the program of each geo-
graphic service area of the Department to manage
and dispose of medical waste, including general med-
ical waste and regulated medical waste, with a de-
scription of the primary methods used in those pro-
grams and the associated costs of those programs,
with cost information shown separately for in-house
costs (including full-time equivalent employees) and
contract costs.
(b) REPORT.—Not later than June 30, 2005, the Sec-
retary of Veterans Affairs shall submit to the Committees
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on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate and House of Representa-
tives a report on medical waste management activities in
the facilities of the Department of Veterans Affairs. The re-
port shall include the following:
(1) The inventory established under subsection
(a), including all the matters specified in that sub-
section.
(2) A listing of each violation of medical waste
management and disposal regulations reported at any
health care facility of the Department over the pre-
ceding five years by any Federal or State agency,
along with an explanation of any remedial or other
action taken by the Secretary in response to each such
reported violation.
(3) A description of any plans to modernize, con-
solidate, or otherwise improve the management of
medical waste and disposal programs at health care
facilities of the Department, including the projected
costs associated with such plans and any barriers to
achieving goals associated with such plans.
(4) An assessment or evaluation of the available
methods of disposing of medical waste and identifica-
tion of which of those methods are more desirable
from an environmental perspective in that they would
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be least likely to result in contamination of air or
water or otherwise cause future cleanup problems.
SEC. 603. INCLUSION OF ALL ENROLLED VETERANS AMONG
PERSONS ELIGIBLE TO USE CANTEENS OPER-
ATED BY VETERANS’ CANTEEN SERVICE.
The text of section 7803 is amended to read as follows:
‘‘(a) PRIMARY BENEFICIARIES.—Canteens operated by
the Service shall be primarily for the use and benefit of—
‘‘(1) veterans hospitalized or domiciled at the fa-
cilities at which canteen services are provided; and
‘‘(2) other veterans who are enrolled under sec-
tion 1705 of this title.
‘‘(b) OTHER AUTHORIZED USERS.—Service at such
canteens may also be furnished to—
‘‘(1) personnel of the Department and recognized
veterans’ organizations who are employed at a facil-
ity at which canteen services are provided and to
other persons so employed;
‘‘(2) the families of persons referred to in para-
graph (1) who reside at the facility; and
‘‘(3) relatives and other persons while visiting a
person specified in this section.’’.
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SEC. 604. ANNUAL REPORTS ON WAITING TIMES FOR AP-
POINTMENTS FOR SPECIALTY CARE.
(a) ANNUAL REPORTS.—Not later than January 31
each year through 2007, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs
shall submit to the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs of the
Senate and the House of Representatives a report on wait-
ing times for appointments for specialty health care from
the Department of Veterans Affairs under chapter 17 of title
38, United States Code, during the preceding year.
(b) REPORT ELEMENTS.—Each report under sub-
section (a) shall specify, for the year covered by the report,
the following:
(1) A tabulation of the number of veterans whose
appointment for specialty health care furnished by the
Department was more than three months after the
date of the scheduling of such appointment, and the
waiting times of such veterans for such appointments,
for each category of specialty care furnished by the
Department, broken out by Veterans Integrated Serv-
ice Network.
(2) An identification of the categories of spe-
cialty care furnished by the Department for which
there were delays of more than three months between
the scheduling date of appointments and appoint-
ments in each Veterans Integrated Service Network.
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(3) A discussion of the reasons for the delays
identified under paragraph (2) for each category of
care for each Veterans Integrated Service Network so
identified, including lack of personnel, financial re-
sources, or other resources.
(c) CERTIFICATION ON REPORT INFORMATION.—The
Comptroller General of the United States shall certify to
the committees of Congress referred to in subsection (a)
whether or not each report under this section is accurate.
SEC. 605. TECHNICAL CLARIFICATION.
Section 8111(d)(2) is amended by inserting before the
period at the end of the last sentence the following: ‘‘and
shall be available for any purpose authorized by this sec-
tion’’.
Amend the title so as to read: ‘‘An Act to amend
title 38, United States Code, to increase the authoriza-
tion of appropriations for grants to benefit homeless vet-
erans, to improve programs for management and admin-
istration of veterans’ facilities and health care programs,
and for other purposes.’’.
Attest:
Secretary.