As ordered reported by the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs on January 21, 2015
H.R. 203 would require the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to have programs for mental health care and suicide prevention evaluated annually. The bill also would extend the period of eligibility for health care for combat veterans and establish pilot programs for community outreach and repayment of education loans. In total, CBO estimates that implementing the bill would cost $24 million over the 2015-2020 period, subject to appropriation of the necessary amounts.
Pay-as-you-go procedures do not apply to this legislation because it would not affect direct spending or revenues.
H.R. 203 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (UMRA) and would not affect the budgets of state, local, or tribal governments.