Veterans Health Administration

Veterans Health Administration 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 Department of Veterans Affairs, including care and treatment in facilities not under the jurisdiction of the department; and furnishing recreational facilities, supplies, and equipment; funeral, burial, and other expenses incidental thereto for beneficiaries receiving care in the department; administrative expenses in support of planning, design, project management, real property acquisition and disposition, construction and renovation of any facility under the jurisdiction or for the use of the department; oversight, engineering and architectural activities not charged to project cost; repairing, altering, improving or providing facilities in the several hospitals and homes under the jurisdiction of the department, 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 5 U.S.C. 5901–5902; aid to State homes as authorized by 38 U.S.C. 1741; administrative and legal expenses of the department for collecting and recovering amounts owed the department as authorized under 38 U.S.C. chapter 17, and the Federal Medical Care Recovery Act, 42 U.S.C. 2651 et seq., $23,889,304,000, plus reimbursements: Provided, That, notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs may establish a priority for treatment for veterans who are service-connected disabled, lower income, or have special needs: Provided further, That of the funds made available under this heading, not to exceed $900,000,000 shall be available until September 30, 2004: Provided further, That the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall conduct by contract a program of recovery audits for the fee basis and other medical services contracts with respect to payments for hospital care; and, notwithstanding 31 U.S.C. 3302(b), amounts collected, by setoff or otherwise, as the result of such audits shall be available, without fiscal year limitation, for the purposes for which funds are appropriated under this heading and the purposes of paying a contractor a percent of the amount collected as a result of an audit carried out by the contractor: Provided further, That all amounts so collected under the preceding proviso with respect to a designated health care region (as that term is defined in 38 U.S.C. 1729A(d)(2)) shall be allocated, net of payments to the contractor, to that region.117 STAT. 478 medical care collections fund (including transfer of funds) Amounts deposited during the current fiscal year in the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Care Collections Fund under section 1729A of title 38, United States Code, may be transferred to “Medical care”, to remain available until expended. medical and prosthetic research (including transfer of funds) For necessary expenses in carrying out programs of medical and prosthetic research and development as authorized by 38 U.S.C. chapter 73, to remain available until September 30, 2004, $400,000,000, plus reimbursements: Provided, That of the funds available under this heading $5,000,000 shall be transferred to “Medical care” for research oversight activities. medical administration and miscellaneous operating expenses For necessary expenses in the administration of the medical, hospital, nursing home, domiciliary, construction, supply, and research activities, as authorized by law; administrative expenses in support of capital policy activities, $74,716,000, of which $3,000,000 shall be available until September 30, 2004, plus reimbursements: Provided, That technical and consulting services offered by the Facilities Management Field Support Service, including project management and real property administration (including leases, site acquisition and disposal activities directly supporting projects), shall be provided to Department of Veterans Affairs components only on a reimbursable basis, and such amounts will remain available until September 30, 2003.