Within one year of enactment, H.R. 2147 would require the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to hire 50 specialists for the Veterans Justice Outreach (VJO) Program. The program—which operates through VA medical centers—provides support services to veterans involved in the criminal justice system. VA reports that currently it is working to hire at least 50 additional specialists for the VJO program. Because the hiring requirement would codify VA’s current plan, CBO estimates that implementing those requirements would result in no additional costs.
The bill also would require VA and the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to submit reports to the Congress on the VJO Program. On the basis of information from GAO regarding necessary resources to prepare reports of similar scope, CBO estimates that four full-time employees at an average compensation of $130,000 would work on the GAO report. CBO expects minimal costs to prepare VA’s report. As a result, CBO estimates that implementing the bill’s reporting requirements would cost $1 million over the 2019-2023 period, assuming availability of appropriated amounts.
