[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 9468 Enrolled Bill (ENR)]
H.R.9468
One Hundred Eighteenth Congress
of the
United States of America
AT THE SECOND SESSION
Begun and held at the City of Washington on Wednesday,
the third day of January, two thousand and twenty-four
An Act
Making supplemental appropriations for the fiscal year ending September
30, 2024, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled, That the following sums
are appropriated, out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise
appropriated, for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2024, and for
other purposes, namely:
DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS
Veterans Benefits Administration
compensation and pensions
For an additional amount for ``Compensation and Pensions'',
$2,285,513,000, to remain available until expended.
Veterans Benefits Administration
readjustment benefits
For an additional amount for ``Readjustment Benefits'',
$596,969,000, to remain available until expended.
GENERAL PROVISIONS--THIS ACT
Sec. 101. Each amount appropriated or made available by this Act
is in addition to amounts otherwise appropriated for the fiscal year
involved.
Sec. 102. Unless otherwise provided for by this Act, the
additional amounts appropriated by this Act to appropriations accounts
shall be available under the authorities and conditions applicable to
such appropriations accounts for fiscal year 2024.
Sec. 103. (a) Budget Formulation and Forecasting.--Not later than
30 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of
Veterans Affairs shall submit to the Committees on Appropriations and
the Committees on Veterans Affairs of the House of Representatives and
the Senate a report detailing corrections the Department will make to
improve forecasting, data quality and budget assumptions relating to
budget submissions for funds provided under the headings
``Compensations and Pensions'' and ``Readjustment Benefits''.
(b) Reporting Requirement.--Not later than 60 days after the
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall submit
to the Committees on Appropriations and the Committees on Veterans
Affairs of the House of Representatives and the Senate a report on
status of funds made available under the headings ``Compensations and
Pensions'' and ``Readjustment Benefits'' for fiscal years 2024, 2025,
and 2026 in this or any other Act: Provided, That such report shall be
updated and submitted to such Committees every 90 days thereafter until
September 30, 2026, and shall include information detailing any changes
to estimates or assumptions on obligations and expenditures, including
data supporting these changes.
Sec. 104. (a) The Inspector General of the Department of Veterans
Affairs shall conduct a review of the circumstances surrounding and the
underlying causes of the announced funding shortfall for the Veterans
Benefits Administration for fiscal year 2024 described in the letter to
Congress from the Secretary of Veterans Affairs on July 19, 2024, and
the announced funding shortfall for the Veterans Health Administration
in fiscal year 2025 described in the letter to Congress from the
Secretary of Veterans Affairs on July 31, 2024.
(b) Relating to the shortfall in the funding of the Veterans
Benefits Administration in fiscal year 2024 and the expected shortfall
in the funding of the Veterans Health Administration in fiscal year
2025, the review shall include, but not be limited to: a comparison of
monthly obligations and expenditures in relevant accounts against the
spend plan of the Department; the reasons for any significant
diversions of obligations or expenditures from the spend plan; an
analysis of the accuracy of projections and estimates relevant to such
diversions; and any other matter determined relevant by the Inspector
General.
(c) Relating to the expected shortfall in the funding of the
Veterans Health Administration in fiscal year 2025, the review also
shall include: any changes, abnormalities, or significant events as
determined significant by the Inspector General of the Department of
Veterans Affairs in the transfer, reallocation, or other movement of
funding between or within the Central Office, a Veterans Integrated
Service Network, a facility, a program or office, a special purpose
fund, the Veterans Equitable Resource Allocation process, or the
Medical Center Allocation System.
(d) Actions the Department of Veterans Affairs can take to improve
the accuracy of supporting information submitted under section 1105(a)
of title 31, United States Code, with respect to the Department of
Veterans Affairs and to prevent funding shortfalls for the Department.
(e) Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this
Act, the Inspector General of the Department of Veterans Affairs shall
submit to the Committees on Appropriations and the Committees on
Veterans Affairs of the House of Representatives and the Senate a
report detailing the conduct and findings of the review.
This Act may be cited as the ``Veterans Benefits Continuity and
Accountability Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2024''.
Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Vice President of the United States and
President of the Senate.