Department of Veterans Affairs FY2018 Appropriations

1 Department of Veterans Affairs FY2018 Appropriations Sidath Viranga Panangala Specialist in Veterans Policy March 9, 2018. congressional research Service 7-5700. R45047. Department of Veterans Affairs FY2018 Appropriations Summary The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) provides a range of benefits and services to Veterans and eligible dependents who meet certain criteria as authorized by law. These benefits include medical care, disability compensation and pensions, education, vocational rehabilitation and employment services , assistance to homeless Veterans , home loan guarantees, administration of life insurance and traumatic injury protection insurance for servicemembers, and death benefits that cover burial expenses. The VA is funded through the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs , and Related Agencies (MILCON-VA) Appropriations bill.

2 On May 23, 2017, the President submitted his budget request to Congress for FY2018 and for the advance Appropriations accounts for FY2019. The President's FY2018 budget request for the VA. is $ billion. Compared with the FY2017-enacted amount of $ billion, this would be a (or $ billion) increase. The FY2018 -requested amount includes $ billion in mandatory budget authority and $ billion in discretionary budget authority. For the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA), the President's budget request includes $ billion for FY2018 . For the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) the President's budget request includes $ billion for FY2018 , without collections. Compared with the FY2017-enacted amount of $ billion, this would be a increase, and the amount includes additional funding of $ billion over the FY2018 advance Appropriations of $ billion provided in 114-223.

3 Although the Veterans Choice Program (VCP) is not part of the annual Appropriations for the VA. health care programs, the President is requesting $ billion in mandatory funding for FY2018 . and $ billion for FY2019 to continue the program. In the meantime, 115-46 provided $ billion in mandatory Appropriations in 2017 for the Veterans Choice Fund (which funds VCP), and in 2018, 115-96 provided another $ billion in mandatory Appropriations . In total, Congress has provided $ billion in mandatory Appropriations for VCP since the program was established on August 7, 2014, including the initial $10 billion in mandatory funding provided through 2017 in 113-146, as amended. On September 14, 2017, the House passed its version of the FY2018 MILCON-VA Appropriations bill (Division K Military Construction, Veterans Affairs , and Related Agencies Appropriations , bill, 2018 in 3354).

4 The House-passed measure ( 3354) provides $ billion for the VA. This amount includes $ billion in mandatory funding and $ billion in discretionary funding. For the VBA, the House-passed measure provides $ billion. A. majority of this funding is for mandatory benefits such as disability compensation, readjustment benefits, and Veterans insurance programs. For VHA, the House-passed bill provides $ billion (without collections) for FY2018 . This amount includes $ billion provided as advance Appropriations in 114-223 for FY2018 for the four accounts medical services , medical community care, medical support and compliance, and medical facilities and $ billion in additional funding for FY2018 for those same four accounts. The total VHA amount also includes $ million for the medical and prosthetic research account.

5 On July 13, 2017, the Senate Appropriations Committee reported its version of the FY2018 . MILCON-VA Appropriations bill (S. 1557; 115-130). The committee-reported version would provide $ billion for the VA for FY2018 . This amount includes $ billion in mandatory funding and $ billion in discretionary funding. For the VBA, the Senate-reported bill recommends $ billion for FY2018 . For VHA, the committee recommends $ billion (without collections) for FY2018 . This amount includes $ billion provided as advance Appropriations in 114-223 for FY2018 for the four accounts medical services , medical community care, medical support and compliance, and medical facilities and $ congressional research Service Department of Veterans Affairs FY2018 Appropriations billion in additional funding for FY2018 for those same four accounts.

6 The total VHA amount also includes $ million for the medical and prosthetic research account. Since none of the 12 regular Appropriations bills were enacted prior to the start of FY2018 . (October 1, 2017), Congress passed and the President signed into law several continuing resolutions (CRs) ( 115-56, 115-90, 115-96, and 115-120). The Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 ( 115-123) funds some VA accounts for FY2018 through March 23, 2018, at the FY2017 level and provides $ million in supplemental Appropriations for the VA for expenses related to the consequences of Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria, among other things. congressional research Service Department of Veterans Affairs FY2018 Appropriations Contents Introduction .. 1. Department of Veterans Affairs Overview.

7 1. The VA Budget .. 2. Advance 4. The Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act of 2014 (Choice Act) .. 5. The President's Budget Request for FY2018 and Advance Appropriations for FY2019. and congressional 7. The President's Request .. 7. House and Senate Action .. 8. House 8. Senate Appropriations Committee 11. Continuing Appropriations for FY2018 .. 14. Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 ( 115-123) .. 15. Figures Figure 1. FY2017-Enacted VA Mandatory and Discretionary Funding .. 3. Tables Table 1. Funding for the Veterans Choice Fund ( 802 (a), 113-146) .. 6. Table 2. VA Hurricane Supplemental, FY2018 .. 15. Table 3. VA FY2017-2018 Mandatory and Discretionary Appropriations and FY2019. Advance Appropriations .. 17. Table 4. VA FY2017- FY2018 Appropriations and FY2019 Advance Appropriations .

8 19. Contacts Author Contact Information .. 26. congressional research Service Department of Veterans Affairs FY2018 Appropriations Introduction This report focuses on FY2018 Appropriations and FY2019 advance Appropriations for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Generally, the VA is funded through the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs , and Related Agencies (MILCON-VA) Appropriations Act. This report begins by providing a brief overview of the VA. Then it describes the VA budget and advance Appropriations . Although not part of annual Appropriations , the report also discusses recent funding developments regarding the Veterans Choice Program (VCP), as that program plays an integral role in the delivery of health care to Veterans through private community providers.

9 The report then describes the President's budget request for FY2018 Appropriations and advance Appropriations for FY2019, along with congressional action. The report provides funding levels for the accounts as passed by the House and recommended by the Senate Appropriations Committee; it does not provide funding levels at the subaccount, program, or activity levels. Department of Veterans Affairs Overview The history of the present-day Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) can be traced back to July 21, 1930, when President Hoover issued Executive Order 5398, creating an independent federal agency known as the Veterans Administration by consolidating many separate Veterans On October 25, 1988, President Reagan signed legislation ( 100-527) creating a new federal cabinet-level Department of Veterans Affairs to replace the Veterans Administration, effective March 15, 1989.

10 The VA provides a range of benefits and services to Veterans and eligible dependents who meet certain criteria as authorized by law. These benefits include medical care, disability compensation and pensions, education, vocational rehabilitation and employment services , assistance to homeless Veterans , home loan guarantees, administration of life insurance and traumatic injury protection insurance for servicemembers, and death benefits that cover burial The VA carries out its programs nationwide through three administrations and the Board of Veterans Appeals (BVA).3 The Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) is responsible for, among other things, providing compensation, pensions, education assistance, and vocational rehabilitation and employment The National Cemetery Administration (NCA) is responsible for maintaining national Veterans cemeteries; providing grants to states for 1.