LegiStorm

Summary:

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) provides benefits to veterans who meet certain eligibility criteria. Benefits to veterans range from disability compensation and pensions to hospital and medical care. The VA provides these benefits through three major operating units: the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA), and the National Cemetery Administration (NCA). This report focuses on the VHA. The VHA is primarily a direct service provider of primary care, specialized care, and related medical and social support services to veterans through the nation's largest integrated health care system. Veterans generally must enroll in the VA health care system to receive medical care. Eligibility for enrollment is based primarily on previous military service, disability, and income. VA provides free inpatient and outpatient medical care to veterans for service-connected conditions and to low-income veterans for nonservice-connected conditions. The Obama Administration released its FY2011 budget on February 1, 2010. The President requested an overall funding amount of $48.8 billion for VHA for FY2011, an increase of $3.7 billion over the enacted amount in FY2010. Furthermore, as required by the Veterans Health Care Budget Reform and Transparency Act of 2009 (P.L. 111-81), the Administration requested $50.6 billion in advance appropriations for FY2012 for the three medical care accounts: medical services, medical support and compliance, and medical facilities. On July 15, 2010, the Senate Committee on Appropriations marked up its version of the MILCON-VA Appropriations bill for FY2011 (S. 3615; S.Rept. 111-226). The Senate Appropriations Committee version of the bill provided $48.9 billion for VHA for FY2011. This amount includes $48.1 billion authorized in FY2010, an additional $120 million for the medical services and medical facilities accounts, and $590 million for the medical and prosthetic research account. The Senate Appropriations Committee recommended amount was thus $120 million more than the President's request for VHA for FY2011. S. 3615 also provided an advance appropriation in the amount of $50.6 billion for medical services, medical support and compliance, and medical facilities accounts to be available in FY2012. On July 28, 2010, the House passed its version of the FY2011 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies Appropriations bill (MILCON-VA Appropriations bill for FY2011, H.R. 5822; H.Rept. 111-559). The House-passed bill provided a total of $48.8 billion for the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) for FY2011, which included $48.1 billion authorized in the FY2010 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies Appropriations Act (P.L. 111-117) and $590 million for the medical and prosthetic research account. H.R. 5822 provided advance appropriations of $50.6 billion for the medical services, medical support and compliance, and medical facilities accounts to be available in FY2012. This is the same as the Administration's request and 5.0% above the FY2011 total amount for the same three accounts. Congress did not pass any FY2011 appropriations bills before the fiscal year began on October 1, 2010; however, after passing a series of continuing resolutions (CRs), on April 15, 2011, the Department of Defense and Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act, 2011 (P.L. 112-10), was enacted into law. P.L. 112-10 provides a total of $48.6 billion for VHA. It also provides $50.6 in advance appropriations for the medical services, medical support and compliance, and medical facilities accounts to be available in FY2012. This report will not be updated.