2016 mark: $76.057 billion
2016 OCO: $532 million
2015 Enacted: $71.808 billion
2015 OCO: $221 million
President's Request: $78.785 billion
MILITARY CONSTRUCTION: $7.151 billion, an increase of $593 million above the FY 2015 enacted level and $1.286 billion below the President’s request, is provided for Military Construction programs.
* The total funding for Reserve Components is $512 million, which is $85 million above the FY 2015 enacted level and $39.1 million below the President’s request.
* The bill fully funds the 2015 budget request for Family Housing construction at $1.413 billion, which is $222.6 million more than the FY 2015 enacted level.
* The bill fully funds the 2016 budget request for the BRAC account at $251.3 million, a decrease of $63.7 million from the FY 2015 enacted level.
VETERANS AFFAIRS: The Committee recommendation includes $68.662 billion in discretionary funding, which is $3.6 billion above the 2015 level and $1.4 billion below the President’s request.
* Unlike previous years, the Committee recommendation fails to meet the discretionary budget request in several areas, including Medical Services; Medical Support and Compliance; Medical Facilities; Construction, Major Projects; General Administration; and Information Technology.
* As authorized by Congress in 2009, the VA medical services accounts are provided funding one year in advance. The Committee recommendation includes $967 million of the $1.1 billion requested for the current year budget request, which is in addition to the FY 2016 advance appropriation provided in the FY 2015 law.
* The Committee recommendation provides $621.8 million for Medical and Prosthetic Research, which is $17.8 million above the FY 2015 enacted level and equal to the President’s request.
* The Committee recommendation provides $561.8 million for Construction, Major Projects, which is equal to the FY 2015 enacted level and $582 million less than the President’s request. The bill also shifts responsibility from Congress to the VA to decide which projects would be funded and which would not.
OTHER VA ISSUES:
* Electronic Health Records: Like the FY 2015 Appropriations law, the Committee recommendation includes language requiring the VA to provide information on the VistA Evolution system before release of 75 percent of the funding provided.
* Disability Claims Backlog: The Committee recommendation continues monthly reporting requirements from regional offices on disability claims processing performance and quality reports on remediation efforts at the poorest performing regional offices.
* Construction Funding: To enhance oversight on VA’s facility construction efforts:
* No funding greater than $5m may be reprogrammed between construction accounts without approval by the House and Senate Committees on Appropriations;
* Any change to the scope of a construction project is prohibited without the approval of the Committees; and
* VA must report any bid savings of $5m or more on projects as soon as they are identified.
Source: U.S. Department of HCA
