Veterans Administration

Veterans Administration compensation and pensions For the payment of compensation, pensions, gratuities, and allowances, including burial awards, plot allowances, burial flags, headstones and grave markers, 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. 2672 and 2677 of tort claims potentially subject to the offset provisions of 38 U.S.C. 351, and for payment of premiums due on commercial life insurance policies guaranteed under the provisions of article IV of the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Civil Relief Act of 1940, as amended, $9,577,300,000, 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, 32, 34–36 and 39), $2,144,000,000, to remain available until expended. veterans insurance and indemnities For military and naval insurance, national service life insurance, servicemen’s indemnities, and service-disabled veterans insurance, $5,750,000, to remain available until expended. medical care For necessary expenses 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 treatment92 STAT. 802 in facilities not under the jurisdiction of the Veterans Administration, and furnishing recreational facilities, supplies and equipment; funeral, burial and other expenses incidental thereto for beneficiaries receiving care in Veterans Administration facilities; repairing, altering, improving by 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 allowances therefor, as authorized by law (5 U.S.C. 5901–5902); and aid to State homes as authorized by law (38 U.S.C. 641); $5,334,374,000, plus reimbursements. medical and prosthetic research For necessary expenses in carrying out programs of medical and prosthetic research and development, as authorized by law, to remain available until September 30, 1980, $122,847,000, plus reimbursements. medical administration and miscellaneous operating expenses For necessary expenses in the 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, $47,058,000, 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 $3,000 for official reception and representation expenses; cemeterial expenses as authorized by law, purchase of eleven passenger motor vehicles, for use in cemeterial operations, and hire of passenger motor vehicles; and reimbursement of the General Services Administration for security guard services, and the Department of Defense for the cost of overseas employee mail; $615,964,000. 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 1004, 1006, 6001, 5002, 5004 and 5012 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, or where funds for a project were made available in a previous major project appropriation, $365,560,000, to remain available until expended: Provided, That $1,424,600 of the $6,259,000 made available in Public Law 94–116 for construction of a research and education facility at Houston, Texas is made available to other Construction, major projects until expended; that $615,900 of the $6,700,000 made available in Public Law 94–116 for construction of a research and education facility at Jackson, Mississippi is made available to other Construction, major projects until expended; that $925,700 of the $5,800,000 made available in Public Law 94–378 for construction of a research and education facility at Dallas, Texas is made available to other Construction, major projects until expended; that $4,400,000 of the $10,000,000 made avail-92 STAT. 803able in Public Law 94–378 for construction of facilities on government-owned land for a TARGET data processing center is made available to other Construction, major projects until expended: Provided further, 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 1004, 1006, 5001, 5002, 5004, and 5012 of title 38, United States Code, where the estimated cost of a project is less than $1,000,000, $85,401,000, to remain available until expended: Provided, That not more than $21,450,000 shall be available for expenses of the Office of Construction. grants for construction of state extended care facilities For grants to assist the several States to construct State nursing home and domiciliary facilities and to remodel, modify or alter existing hospital, nursing home and domiciliary facilities in State homes, for furnishing care to veterans, as authorized by law (38 U.S.C. 5031–5037), $10,000,000, to remain available until September 30, 1981. assistance for health manpower training institutions For pilot programs for assistance in the establishment of new State medical schools, grants to affiliated medical schools, assistance to public and nonprofit institutions of higher learning, hospitals and other health manpower institutions affiliated with the Veterans Administration to increase the production of professional and other health personnel, and for expansion of Veterans Administration hospital education and training capacity as authorized by 38 U.S.C. chapter 82, $47,437,000, to remain available until September 30, 1985. loan guaranty revolving fund During the current fiscal year, the Loan guaranty revolving fund shall be available for expenses for property acquisitions, payment of participation sales insufficiencies, 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. 92 STAT. 804 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. 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. 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.