§ 8104. Congressional approval of certain medical facility acquisitions
(a)
(1)
The purpose of this subsection is to enable Congress to ensure the equitable distribution of medical facilities throughout the United States, taking into consideration the comparative urgency of the need for the services to be provided in the case of each particular facility.
(2)
No funds may be appropriated for any fiscal year, and the Secretary may not obligate or expend funds (other than for advance planning and design), for any major medical facility project or any major medical facility lease unless funds for that project or lease have been specifically authorized by law.
(b)
Whenever the President or the Secretary submit to the Congress a request for the funding of a major medical facility project (as defined in subsection (a)(3)(A)) or a major medical facility lease (as defined in subsection (a)(3)(B)), the Secretary shall submit to each committee, on the same day, a prospectus of the proposed medical facility. Any such prospectus shall include the following:
(1)
A detailed description of the medical facility to be constructed, altered, leased, or otherwise acquired under this subchapter, including a description of the location of such facility and, in the case of a prospectus proposing the construction of a new or replacement medical facility, a description of the consideration that was given to acquiring an existing facility by lease or purchase and to the sharing of health-care resources with the Department of Defense under section
8111 of this title.
(2)
An estimate of the cost to the United States of the construction, alteration, lease, or other acquisition of such facility (including site costs, if applicable).
(3)
An estimate of the cost to the United States of the equipment required for the operation of such facility.
(4)
Demographic data applicable to such facility, including information on projected changes in the population of veterans to be served by the facility over a five-year period and a ten-year period.
(6)
Current and projected operating costs of the facility, including both recurring and non-recurring costs.
(7)
The priority score assigned to the project or lease under the Department’s prioritization methodology and, if the project or lease is being proposed for funding before a project or lease with a higher score, a specific explanation of the factors other than the priority score that were considered and the basis on which the project or lease is proposed for funding ahead of projects or leases with higher priority scores.
(c)
Not less than 30 days before obligating funds for a major medical facility project approved by a law described in subsection (a)(2) of this section in an amount that would cause the total amount obligated for that project to exceed the amount specified in the law for that project (or would add to total obligations exceeding such specified amount) by more than 10 percent, the Secretary shall provide the committees with notice of the Secretary’s intention to do so and the reasons for the specified amount being exceeded.
(d)
In any case in which the Secretary proposes that funds be used for a purpose other than the purpose for which such funds were appropriated, the Secretary shall promptly notify each committee, in writing, of the particulars involved and the reasons why such funds were not used for the purpose for which appropriated.
(f)
The Secretary may not obligate funds in an amount in excess of $500,000 from the Advance Planning Fund of the Department toward design or development of a major medical facility project (as defined in subsection (a)(3)(A)) until—
(g)
The limitation in subsection (f) does not apply to a project for which funds have been authorized by law in accordance with subsection (a)(2).