VA Budget Shortfall Accountability Act
Officially: “VA Budget Shortfall Accountability Act” Read the full text
What it does
Read it in plain language
1Funding shortfalls in certain administrations of the Department of Veterans Affairs: review; report
This section would require the Comptroller General of the United States to begin, no later than 30 days after this Act becomes law, a review into the circumstances and causes of two funding problems: the shortfall in funding of the Veterans Benefits Administration for fiscal year 2024, and the expected shortfall in funding of the Veterans Health Administration for fiscal year 2025. The review would have to cover all of the following: a comparison of monthly obligations and expenditures in the relevant accounts against the Department of Veterans Affairs' spending plan; any transfers of money between those accounts; the reasons for any significant differences between actual obligations or expenditures and the spending plan; an analysis of how accurate the projections or estimates related to those differences were; and remedial actions the Secretary of Veterans Affairs could take both to improve the accuracy of supporting information about the Department that is submitted under section 1105(a) of title 31, United States Code, and to prevent future funding shortfalls at the Department. No later than 30 days after finishing the review, the Comptroller General would have to submit a written report of the results and findings to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs. No later than 30 days after the Secretary receives that report, the Secretary would have to submit it to the appropriate congressional committees. For this section, those committees are defined as the Committees on Veterans' Affairs of the House of Representatives and the Senate, and the Committees on Appropriations of the House of Representatives and the Senate.
Show official text
1. Funding shortfalls in certain administrations of the Department of Veterans Affairs: review; report (a) GAO review (1) Review required Not later than 30 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States shall begin a review regarding the circumstances surrounding, and the causes of— (A) the shortfall in the funding of the Veterans Benefits Administration for fiscal year 2024; and (B) the expected shortfall in the funding of the Veterans Health Administration in fiscal year 2025. (2) Elements The review under this subsection shall include the following elements: (A) A comparison of monthly obligations and expenditures in relevant accounts against the spending plan of the Department of Veterans Affairs. (B) Any transfers between accounts described in subparagraph (A). (C) The reasons for any significant diversions of obligations or expenditures from such spending plan. (D) An analysis of the accuracy of any projections or estimates relevant to diversions described in subparagraph (C). (E) Remedial actions the Secretary of Veterans Affairs may take— (i) to improve the accuracy of supporting information submitted under section 1105(a) of title 31, United States Code, with respect to the Department; and (ii) to prevent funding shortfalls for the Department. (3) Report Not later than 30 days after completing such review, the Comptroller General shall submit to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs a written report containing the results and findings of such review. (b) Report of the Secretary of Veterans Affairs Not later than 30 days after the Secretary of Veterans Affairs receives the report of the Comptroller General under subsection (a), the Secretary shall submit such report to the appropriate congressional committees. (c) Appropriate congressional committees defined In this section, the term appropriate congressional committees means— (1) the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs of the House of Representatives and the Senate; and (2) the Committees on Appropriations of the House of Representatives and the Senate.
Where it is
In the House.