Veterans' Programs Extension and Construction Authorization Act of 2008

Bill: 110-hr-6832
Sponsor: Rep. Filner, Bob [D-CA-51]
Introduced: 2008-09-08 in the House
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security
Subjects: Advisory bodies
Ambulatory care
Arizona
Auditing
Authorization
Biological warfare
Building construction
California
Chemical and biological weapons
Chemical warfare
Collection of accounts
Colorado
Congregate housing
Congress
Congressional oversight
Congressional reporting requirements
Construction costs
Department of Veterans Affairs
Disability and paralysis
Disabled
Economics and Public Finance
Education
Federally-guaranteed loans
Finance and Financial Sector
Florida
Georgia
Government Operations and Politics
Government contractors
Government procurement
Health
Health care costs and insurance
Health facilities and institutions
Health insurance
Higher education
Home and outpatient care
Hospitals
Housing and Community Development
Housing finance
Housing finance and home ownership
Human experimentation in medicine
Leases
Long-term care
Long-term, rehabilitative, and terminal care
Louisiana
Medical centers
Medical education
Medical research
Mental health
Mental illness
Military research
Minorities
Mississippi
Mortgage guaranty insurance
Mortgages
Nevada
Nonprofit organizations
Nursing homes
Ohio
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Post-traumatic stress disorder
Puerto Rico
Research administration and funding
Research centers
Science, Technology, Communications
Social Welfare
Soldiers' homes
South Carolina
Tax administration and collection, taxpayers
Texas
Veterans' benefits
Veterans' hospitals
Veterans' loans, housing, homeless programs
Veterans' medical care
Wisconsin
Women
Women veterans

Summary:
action_date: 2008-09-08
text: 
Veterans' Programs Extension and Construction Authorization Act of 2008 - Authorizes specified major medical facility projects and leases for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for FY2009.
 
Revises amounts of certain previously-authorized projects.
 
Requires reports from the Secretary of Veterans Affairs on VA facilities administration and outpatient clinics.
 
Extends for specified periods, or makes permanent, certain VA programs and activities, including: (1) recovery audit authority; (2) health care for veterans who participated in certain chemical and biological tests conducted by the Department of Defense (DOD); (3) third-party insurance provider collection authority; (4) required nursing home care for veterans with certain service-connected disabilities; (5) income verification for benefits eligibility purposes; (6) research corporations; (7) veterans' home loan guaranty programs; (8) specified committee reports and committee duration; and (9) a temporary increase in the maximum guaranty amount for certain housing loans guaranteed by the VA.
 
Increases: (1) the number of veterans authorized to participate in the independent living program; and (2) the maximum percentage of home loan value authorized to be guaranteed by the VA upon refinancing.

action_date: 2008-09-11
text: 
Veterans' Programs Extension and Construction Authorization Act of 2008 - 
Title I: Authorization of Medical Facility Projects and Major Medical Facility Leases 
- (Sec. 101) Authorizes the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to carry out major medical facility projects (projects) in FY2009 in: (1) Palo Alto, California; (2) San Antonio, Texas; and (3) San Juan, Puerto Rico.
 
(Sec. 102) Amends the Veterans Benefits, Health Care, and Information Technology Act of 2006 to: (1) increase amounts authorized for projects at Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) medical centers in New Orleans, Louisiana, and Denver, Colorado; and (2) repeal the authority for a project at the VA medical center in Gulfport, Mississippi.
 
Increases amounts authorized for projects at the following locations in connection with the Capital Asset Realignment Initiative: (1) Gainesville, Florida; (2) Las Vegas, Nevada; (3) Lee County, Florida; (4) Orlando, Florida; and (5) Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
 
(Sec. 103) Authorizes the Secretary to carry out specified major medical facility leases (leases) in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Ohio, Oregon, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, and Wisconsin.
 
(Sec. 104) Authorizes the Secretary to carry out a project to construct a new VA medical facility in Okaloosa County, Florida.
 
(Sec. 105) Authorizes appropriations for projects and leases authorized under this title.
 
(Sec. 106) Requires a report from the Secretary to the congressional veterans committees on the progress of the VA's Director of Construction and Facilities Administration in carrying out required duties.
 
(Sec. 107) Directs the Secretary to report annually to the veterans committees detailing information on VA community-based outpatient clinics and other outpatient clinics.
 

Title II: Extension of Certain Authorities 
- (Sec. 201) Makes permanent the temporary authority to consider noninstitutional extended care services as covered VA medical services.
 
(Sec. 202) Extends through FY2013 VA authority to conduct audits of payments made for non-VA care and services furnished to veterans through contracts and fee-based arrangements.
 
(Sec. 203) Makes permanent (under current law, expires at the end of 2008) the authority to provide hospital care, medical services, and nursing home care to certain veterans who participated in Department of Defense (DOD) chemical and biological testing.
 
(Sec. 204) Extends through FY2010 VA authority to collect: (1) specified copayments for each day of hospital or nursing home care provided to certain veterans; and (2) from third-party insurers the cost of certain care and services provided by the VA to veterans with non-service-connected disabilities.
 
(Sec. 205) Extends through 2013 VA authority to provide nursing home care to veterans with service-connected disabilities rated at 70% or higher, and to veterans in need of nursing home care for their service-connected disabilities.
 
(Sec. 206) Extends through FY2010 VA authority to obtain information from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the Social Security Administration for income verification purposes for VA needs-based benefits.
 
(Sec. 207) Extends permanently (under current law, terminates at the end of 2008) VA authority to establish research corporations.
 
(Sec. 208) Extends through FY2012 VA demonstration projects involving adjustable rate and hybrid adjustable rate mortgages.
 
(Sec. 209) Amends the Veterans' Health Care Act of 1984 to extend through 2012 the annual report requirement of the Special Committee on Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
 
(Sec. 210) Extends through 2012 the annual report requirement of the Committee on Care of Severely Chronically Mentally Ill Veterans.
 
(Sec. 211) Makes permanent (under current law, terminates in 2008) a required biannual report from the Advisory Committee on Women Veterans.
 
(Sec. 212) Makes permanent (under current law, terminates at the end of 2009) the Advisory Committee on Minority Veterans.
 
(Sec. 213) Amends the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 to extend through 2011 a temporary increase in the maximum loan guaranty amount for certain veterans' housing loans guaranteed by the VA.
 

Title III: Other Matters 
- (Sec. 301) Increases, from 2500 to 2600, the cap on the number of veterans for which programs of independent living services and assistance may be annually initiated.
 
(Sec. 302) Increases from 90% to 100% the maximum percentage of home loan value authorized to be guaranteed by the VA upon refinancing.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2008-09-12
text: Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
action_date: 2008-09-11
text: Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
action_date: 2008-09-11
text: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to without objection. (text: CR 09/09/2008 H7909-7911)
action_date: 2008-09-11
text: Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to without objection.(text: CR 09/09/2008 H7909-7911)
action_date: 2008-09-11
text: ORDER OF PROCEDURE - Mr. Lewis of Georgia asked unanimous consent that the ordering of the yeas and nays be vacated with respect to the motion to suspend the rules and pass H.R. 6832 to the end that the motion be considered as adopted in the form considered by the House on Tuesday, September 9, 2008. (consideration: CR H8038-8039)
action_date: 2008-09-09
text: At the conclusion of debate, the Yeas and Nays were demanded and ordered. Pursuant to the provisions of clause 8, rule XX, the Chair announced that further proceedings on the motion would be postponed.
action_date: 2008-09-09
text: DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 6832.
action_date: 2008-09-09
text: Considered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H7909-7913)
action_date: 2008-09-09
text: Mr. Filner moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill.
action_date: 2008-09-08
text: Referred to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
action_date: 2008-09-08
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2008-09-08
text: Introduced in House