Veterans Administration Programs Extension Act
PL 95-520 (H.R.5029), enacted 10/26/1978

92 STAT. 1820 
PUBLIC LAW 95-520—OCT. 26, 1978 
Public Law 95-520 
95th Congress 
Oct. 26, 1978 
[H.R. 5029] 
Veterans' 
Administration 
Programs 
Extension Act of 
1978. 
38 u s e 101 note. 
38 u s e 632. 
38 u s e 4118 
note. 
An Act 
To amend title 38, United States Code, to extend certain expiring programs of 
the Veterans' Administration, to extend and improve the program of veterans 
readjustment appointments in the Federal Government, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted hy the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assemhled^ That this Act may 
be cited as the "Veterans' Administration Programs Extension Act 
of 1978". 
SEC. 2. Section 230(b) of title 38, United States Code, relating to 
the Veterans' Administration office in the Republic of the Philippines, 
is amended by striking out "June 30, 1978" and inserting m lieu 
thereof "September 30,1981". 
SEC. 3. (a) Section 624(c) of title 38, United States Code, relating 
to the veterans medical center in the Republic of the Philippines^ is 
amended by striking out "Veterans Memorial Hospital" and inserting 
in lieu thereof "Veterans Memorial Medical Center". 
(b) Section 632 of such title is amended—• 
(1) by striking out "Veterans Memorial Hospital" each place 
it appears in such section and inserting in lieu thereof in each 
such place "Veterans Memorial Medical Center"; 
(2) in the matter in subsection (a) preceding clause (1) — 
(A) by striking out "a contract" and inserting in lieu 
thereof "contracts"; and 
(B) by striking out "June 30, 1978" and inserting in lieu 
thereof "September 30,1981"; 
(3) by striking out "July 1,1978" in subsection (b) and insert-
ing in lieu thereof "October 1,1981"; and 
(4) by striking out "during the five years beginning July 1, 
1973, and ending June 30, 1978—" in subsection (d) and insert-
ing in lieu thereof "occurring during the period beginning July 1, 
1973, and ending September 30,1981—". 
SEC. 4. Section 6(a) (2) of the Veterans' Administration Physician 
and Dentist Pay Comparability Act of 1975 (Public Law 94-123; 89 
Stat. 669), relating to the expiration of authority to enter into special 
pay agreements, is amended by striking out "September 30, 1978" 
and inserting in lieu thereof "September 30,1981". 
SEC. 5. Section 601(4) (C) of title 38, United States Code, relating 
to contract-care medical facilities, is amended by striking out "(v) 
hospital care" and all that follows through "December 31, 1978" and 
inserting in lieu thereof "(v) hospital care, or medical services that 
will obviate the need for hospital admission, for veterans in a State 
not contiguous to the forty-eight contiguous States, except that the 
annually determined hospital patient load and incidence of the pro-
vision of medical services to veterans hospitalized or treated at the 
expense of the Veterans' Administration in Government and private 
facilities in each such noncontiguous State shall be consistent with the 
patient load or incidence of the provision of medical services for veter-
ans hospitalized or treated by the Veterans' Administration within the 
forty-eight contiguous States, but the authority of the Administrator 
under this subclause (except with respect to Alaska and Hawaii) shall 
PUBLIC LAW 95-520—OCT. 26, 1978 
92 STAT. 1821 
Vietnam 
veterans. 
5 u s e 3302 note. 
expire on December 31, 1981, and until such date the Administrator 
may, if necessary to prevent hardship, waive the applicability to the 
Commonwealth of Puerto Eico and to the Virgin Islands of the restric-
tions in this subclause with respect to hospital patient loads and inci-
dence of provision of medical services". 
SEC. 6. (a) Section 2012(b) of title 38, United States Code, relating 
to veterans' employment emphasis under Federal contracts, is amended 
by inserting after "veterans" a comma and "or if any veteran who is 
entitled to disability compensation under the laws administered by the 
Veterans' Administration believes that any such contractor has dis-
criminated against such veteran because such veteran is a handicapped 
individual within the meaning of section 7(6) of the Eehabilitation 
Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 706(6))". 
(b) (1) Subsection (b) of section 2014 of such title, relating to vet- 38 USC 2014 
erans readjustment appointments within the Federal Government, is 
amended to read as follows: 
"(b) (1) To further the policy stated in subsection (a) of this sec-
tion, veterans of the Vietnam era shall be eligible, in accordance with 
regulations which the Civil Service Commission shall prescribe, for 
veterans readjustment appointments, and for subsequent career-condi-
tional appointments, under the terms and conditions specified in Execu-
tive Order Numbered 11521 (March 26, 1970), except that— 
"(A) such an appointment may be made up to and including 
the level GS-7 or its equivalent; 
"(B) a veteran of the Vietnam era shall be eligible for such an 
appointment without any time limitation with respect to eligibility 
for such an appointment; and 
"(C) a veteran of the Vietnam era who is entitled to disability 
compensation under the laws administered by the Veterans' 
Administration or whose discharge or release from active duty 
was for a disability incurred or aggravated in line of duty 
shall be eligible for such an appointment without regard to the 
number of years of education completed by such veteran. 
"(2) In this subsection, the term 'veteran of the Vietnam era' has the 
meaning given such term in section 2011(2) (A) of this title. 
"(3) No veterans readjustment appointment may be made under 
authority of this subsection after September 30,1981.^'. 
(2) Subsection (d) of such section is amended (A) by striking out 
"thereof" in the second sentence and inserting in lieu thereof "of this 
section", and (B) by adding at the end of such subsection the following 
new sentence: "Each report under the preceding sentence shall include 
in the specification of the use and extent of appointments made under 
subsection (b) of this section the following information (shown for all 
veterans and separately for veterans described in subsection (b) (1) (C) 
of this section and other veterans) : 
"(1) The number of appointments made under such subsection 
since_ the last such report and the grade levels in which such 
appointments were made. 
" (2) The number of individuals receiving appointments under 
such subsection whose appointments were converted to career con-
ditional appointments, or whose employment under such an 
appointment has terminated, since the last such report, together 
with a complete listing of categories of causes of appointment 
terminations and the number of such individuals whose employ-
ment has terminated falling into each such category. 
"Veteran of the 
Vietnam era." 
38 USC 2011. 
Report. 
92 STAT. 1822 
PUBLIC LAW 95-520—OCT. 26, 1978 
38 use 2014. 
Appropriation 
authorization. 
38 use 5071. 
38 
use 
5071, 
5091, 5096. 
Report to 
Congress and 
President. 
38 u s e 601 note. 
Report. 
"(3) The number of such terminations since the last such 
report that were initiated by the department, agency, or instru-
mentality involved and the number of such terminations since 
the last such report that were initiated by the individual involved. 
"(4) A description of the education and training programs in 
which individuals appointed under such subsection are participat-
ing at the time of such report.-'. 
(3) Subsection (f) of such section is amended by inserting "subsec-
tion (a) of" after "as used in". 
SEC. 7. Section 5082 of title 38, United States Code, relating to 
authorizations of appropriations, is amended by adding at the end 
thereof the following new subsection: 
"(c) There is authorized to be appropriated for fiscal year 1979 to 
carry out the programs authorized tmder this chapter such sums as 
may be necessary (1) to make to institutions with which the Adminis-
trator has entered into agreements under subchapter I of this chapter 
supplemental grants for which the Administrator had, before May 1, 
1978, approved applications from such institutions, and (2) to meet 
fully the commitments made by the Administrator before May 1,1978, 
for grants and applications approved under authority of tliis subchap-
ter and subchapters III and IV of this chapter, except that no funds 
appropriated under this subsection may be used for grants and appli-
cations approved under this subchapter and such subchapters III and 
IV until the full amounts for which applications had been so approved 
have been obligated under such subchapter I.". 
SEC. 8. (a) Not later than February 1, 1980, the Administrator of 
Veterans' Affairs shall submit a report to the Congress and to the 
President on the furnishing by the Veterans' Administration of hos-
pital care and medical services in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico 
and in the Virgin Islands. The Administrator shall inchide in such 
report— 
(1) a comprehensive assessment of the health-care needs of 
veterans in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and in the Virgin 
Islands; 
(2) a detailed report on the hospital care and medical services 
furnished or to be furnished to such veterans during fiscal years 
1975 through 1981, with information in such report shown with 
respect to the number of veterans treated or to be treated, the 
facilities at which such care and services are furnished or to be 
fui-nished, and the extent to Avhich such care and services are 
furnished or are to be furnished for the treatment of veterans for 
service-connected disabilities of any degree and of veterans with 
service-connected disabilities rated at 50 per centum or more; and 
(3) recommendations as to how the health-care needs of such 
veterans can best be addressed within the existing authority of 
the Administrator of Veterans' Affairs and what additional 
authority, if any, is necessary and desirable to meet such needs. 
(b) In making recommendations under subsection (a)(3), the 
Administrator shall take into consideration—• 
(1) the state of the economy in the Commonwealth of Puerto 
Rico and in the Virgin Islands; 
(2) alternative sources of health-care services that would be 
available to veterans in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and 
in the Virgin Islands if the health-care services furnished by the 
Veterans' Administration for non-service-connected disabilities 
were substantially reduced; 
PUBLIC LAW 95-520—OCT. 26, 1978 
92 STAT. 1823 
(3) the desirability of equitable distribution of Veterans' 
Administration health-care resources; and 
(4) the higher priority established by law for the care and 
treatment of service-connected disabilities. 
SEC. 9. There is authorized to be appropriated for fiscal year 1979 Appropriation, 
the sum of $5,000,000 to enable the Administrator of Veterans' Affairs authorization, 
to implement the Veterans' and Survivors' Pension Improvement Act 
of 1978. Amounts appropriated pursuant to the preceding sentence 
shall remain available during the one-year period beginning on the 
date of the enactment of such Act and may be used to carry out a 
program of public information and advertising designed to advise 
fully all persons who may be affected by the provisions of such Act 
of the provisions of such Act, including the manner in which such Act 
may affect them and any rights they may have under such Act. 
Approved October 26, 1978. 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY: 
HOUSE REPORT No. 95-111 (Comm. on Veterans' Affairs). 
SENATE REPORT No. 95-825 (Comm. on Veterans' Affairs). 
CONGRESSIONAL RECORD: 
VoL 123 (1977): Apr. 4, considered and passed House. 
Vol. 124 (1978): May 26, considered and passed Senate, amended. 
Oct. 13, House concurred in Senate amendments with amend-
ments. 
Oct. 15, Senate concurred in House amendments.