Veterans Administration

Veterans Administration compensation and pensions For the payment of compensation, pensions, gratuities, and allowances, including burial awards, burial flags, emergency and other officers’ retirement pay, adjusted-service credits and certificates, and other benefits as authorized by law; and for payment of amounts of compromises or settlements under 28 U.S.C. 2677 of tort claims potentially subject to the offset provisions of 38 U.S.C. 351, $6,506,000,000, to remain available until expended. readjustment benefits For the payment of readjustment and rehabilitation benefits to or on behalf of veterans as authorized by law (38 U.S.C. chapters 21, 31, and 33–39), $2,526,000,000, to remain available until expended. veterans insurance and indemnities For military and naval insurance, national service life insurance, servicemen’s indemnities, service-disabled veterans insurance, and soldiers’ and sailors’ civil relief, to remain available until expended, $6,000,000, which shall be derived from the Veterans Special Life Insurance Fund. medical care For expenses necessary for the maintenance and operation of hospitals, nursing homes, and domiciliary facilities; for furnishing, as authorized by law, inpatient and outpatient care and treatment to beneficiaries of the Veterans Administration, including care and treatment in facilities not under the jurisdiction of the Veterans Administration, and furnishing recreational facilities, supplies and equipment; maintenance and operation of burial grounds; repairing, altering, improving or providing facilities in the several hospitals and homes under the jurisdiction of the Veterans Administration, not otherwise provided for, either by contract or by the hire of temporary employees and purchase of materials; uniforms or allowance therefor as authorized by law (5 U.S.C. 5901–5902); and aid to State homes as authorized by87 Stat. 498 law (38 U.S.C. 641); $2,676,261,000, plus reimbursements: Provided, That allotments and transfers may be made from this appropriation to the Public Health Service of the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, and the Army, Navy, and Air Force of the Department of Defense, for disbursements by them under the various headings of their applicable appropriations, of such amounts as are necessary for the care and treatment of beneficiaries of the Veterans Administration. medical and prosthetic research For expenses necessary for carrying out programs of medical and prosthetic research and development, as authorized by law, to remain available until expended, $75,500,000, plus reimbursements. assistance for health manpower training institutions For pilot programs for assistance in the establishment of new State medical schools, as authorized by title 38, United States Code, chapter 82, $25,000,000, to remain available for pilot programs under section 5072 of title 38, United States Code, until June 30, 1979. medical administration and miscellaneous operating expenses For expenses necessary for administration of the medical, hospital, domiciliary, construction and supply, research, employee education and training activities, as authorized by law, and for carrying out the provisions of section 5055, title 38, United States Code, relating to pilot programs and grants for exchange of medical information, $32,600,000, plus reimbursements. general operating expenses For necessary operating expenses of the Veterans Administration, not otherwise provided for, including uniforms or allowances therefor, as authorized by law; not to exceed $2,500 for official reception and representation expenses; purchase of one passenger motor vehicle (medium sedan for replacement only) and hire of passenger motor vehicles; and reimbursement of the General Services Administration for security guard services; $310,000,000. construction, major projects For constructing, altering, extending and improving any of the facilities under the jurisdiction or for the use of the Veterans Administration, or for any of the purposes set forth in sections 5001, 5002 and 5004 of title 38, United States Code, including planning, architectural and engineering services, and site acquisition, where the estimated cost of a project is $1,000,000 or more, $68,343,000, to remain available until expended: Provided, That none of these funds shall be used for any project which has not been considered and approved by the Congress in the budgetary process. construction, minor projects For constructing; altering, extending, and improving any of the facilities under the jurisdiction or for the use of the Veterans Administration, including planning, architectural and engineering services, and site acquisition, or for any of the purposes set forth in sections 5001,87 Stat. 499 5002 and 5004 of title 38, United States Code, where the estimated cost of a project is less than $1,000,000, and for necessary expenses of the Office of Construction, $39,703,000, to remain available until expended: Provided, That funds appropriated under this head shall be available for contributions to local authorities toward, or for the construction of, necessary safety traffic controls adjacent to Veterans Administration hospitals. grants to the republic of the philippines For payment to the Republic of the Philippines of grants, as authorized by law (38 U.S.C. 631–634), $2,000,000. payment of participation sales insufficiencies For the payment, of such insufficiencies as may be required by the Government National Mortgage Association, as trustee, on account of outstanding beneficial interests or participations in Direct loan revolving fund assets or Loan guaranty revolving fund assets, authorized by the Independent Offices and Department of Housing and Urban Development Appropriation Act, 1968, to be issued pursuant to section 302(c) of the Federal National Mortgage Association Charter Act, as amended (12 U.S.C. 1717 (c)), $4,400,000. loan guaranty revolving fund During the current fiscal year, the Loan guaranty revolving fund shall be available for expenses, but not to exceed $500,000,000, for property acquisitions and other loan guaranty and insurance operations under Chapter 37, title 38, United States Code, except administrative expenses, as authorized by section 1824 of such title: Provided, That the unobligated balances including retained earnings of the Direct loan revolving fund shall be available, during the current fiscal year, for transfer to the Loan guaranty revolving fund in such amounts as may be necessary to provide for the timely payment of obligations of such fund and the Administrator of Veterans Affairs shall not be required to pay interest on amounts so transferred after the time of such transfer. administrative provisions Not to exceed 5 per centum of any appropriation for the current fiscal year for “Compensation and pensions”, “Readjustment benefits”, and “Veterans insurance and indemnities” may be transferred to any other of the mentioned appropriations, but not. to exceed 10 per centum of the appropriations so augmented. Appropriations available to the Veterans Administration for the current fiscal year for salaries and expenses shall be available for services as authorized by 5 U.S.C. 3109. The appropriation available to the Veterans Administration for the current fiscal year for “Medical care” shall be available for funeral, burial, and other expenses incidental thereto (except burial awards authorized by 38 U.S.C. 902), for beneficiaries of the Veterans Administration receiving care under such appropriations. No part of the appropriations in this Act for the Veterans Administration (except the appropriations for “Construction, major projects”, and “Construction, minor projects”) shall be available for the purchase of any site for or toward the construction of any new hospital or home. 87 Stat. 500 No part of the foregoing appropriations shall be available for hospitalization or examination of any persons except beneficiaries entitled under the laws bestowing such benefits to veterans, unless reimbursement of cost is made to the appropriation at such rates as may be fixed by the Administrator of Veterans Affairs.