{
  "id": "RL33017",
  "type": "CRS Report",
  "typeId": "REPORTS",
  "number": "RL33017",
  "active": false,
  "source": "EveryCRSReport.com, University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department",
  "versions": [
    {
      "source": "EveryCRSReport.com",
      "id": 347361,
      "date": "2006-01-10",
      "retrieved": "2016-04-07T19:21:54.423029",
      "title": "Military Quality of Life/VA (House) and Military Construction/VA (Senate): FY2006 Appropriations",
      "summary": "The structure of the Committees on Appropriations underwent significant change with the beginning of the 109th Congress. As a result, jurisdictions over the appropriations covered in this report, including military construction, military housing allowances, military installation maintenance and operation, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and other veteran-related agencies, rest in the House Committee on Appropriations with the new Subcommittee on Military Quality of Life and Veterans Affairs. In the Senate Committee on Appropriations, jurisdiction for military construction, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and other veteran-related agencies lies with the Subcommittee on Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, while military housing allowances and military installation maintenance and operation are the responsibility of the Subcommittee on Defense. Authorization jurisdictions lie with the two Committees on the Armed Services and Committees on Veterans Affairs.\nKey issues in congressional action to date include:\nMilitary Construction: The changing structure of the Army, the redeployment of troops from overseas garrisons to domestic bases, and the current BRAC round have drawn committee attention during the appropriation process. The report of the Commission on Review of Overseas Military Facility Structure of the United States (the Overseas Basing Commission), created by Congress, concluded that the Department of Defense (DOD) plan for withdrawing forces from long-standing garrisons in Europe and Asia is moving too fast and that DOD has not engaged in substantive consultation with other agencies whose operations would be affected by the changes. The funding of the construction of military infrastructure in support of Operation Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (Iraq), whether continuing through emergency supplemental appropriations or transitioning to the normal annual appropriation cycle, has also been discussed in hearings.\nVeteran Benefits: Entitlement spending is rising as the number of beneficiaries is increasing, education benefits are being augmented, and annual cost of living adjustments are being granted. Benefits such as disability compensation, pensions, and education are mandatory payments and constitute more than half ($36.6 billion) of the VA appropriation of approximately $70 billion.\nVeteran Medical Care: The Administration has again requested legislative changes to increase certain co-payments and other cost-sharing fees for veterans in lower priority categories. After VA announced a shortfall of more than $1 billion from its FY2005 enacted appropriations for veterans health programs, $1.5 billion in supplemental appropriations was added by P.L. 109-54.",
      "type": "CRS Report",
      "typeId": "REPORTS",
      "active": false,
      "formats": [
        {
          "format": "HTML",
          "encoding": "utf-8",
          "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/RL33017",
          "sha1": "022e097d5ec14c33da86b5c9d6d4ed1988668689",
          "filename": "files/20060110_RL33017_022e097d5ec14c33da86b5c9d6d4ed1988668689.html",
          "images": null
        },
        {
          "format": "PDF",
          "encoding": null,
          "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/RL33017",
          "sha1": "254ec8a0e5d4607dfb5b6592b6ae4a7c7be0b620",
          "filename": "files/20060110_RL33017_254ec8a0e5d4607dfb5b6592b6ae4a7c7be0b620.pdf",
          "images": null
        }
      ],
      "topics": []
    },
    {
      "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department",
      "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metacrs8046/",
      "id": "RL33017 2005-08-15",
      "date": "2005-08-15",
      "retrieved": "2006-02-14T17:17:13",
      "title": "Military Quality of Life/VA (House) and Military Construction/VA (Senate): FY2006 Appropriations",
      "summary": null,
      "type": "CRS Report",
      "typeId": "REPORT",
      "active": false,
      "formats": [
        {
          "format": "PDF",
          "filename": "files/20050815_RL33017_cc6c7d8eb199c2802bb0caeb90a35700442f0dea.pdf"
        },
        {
          "format": "HTML",
          "filename": "files/20050815_RL33017_cc6c7d8eb199c2802bb0caeb90a35700442f0dea.html"
        }
      ],
      "topics": [
        {
          "source": "LIV",
          "id": "Defense policy",
          "name": "Defense policy"
        },
        {
          "source": "LIV",
          "id": "U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs - Appropriations",
          "name": "U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs - Appropriations"
        },
        {
          "source": "LIV",
          "id": "Military construction operations - Appropriations",
          "name": "Military construction operations - Appropriations"
        },
        {
          "source": "LIV",
          "id": "Budgets",
          "name": "Budgets"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "topics": [
    "Appropriations",
    "National Defense"
  ]
}