H.R. 8052, Veteran Infection Prevention Act

Bill Summary

H.R. 8052 would require certain sterile processing technicians employed by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to obtain professional certification from an accredited institution within two years of their appointment. The bill would require VA to provide scholarships to currently employed technicians so that they can attain that certification. Finally, the bill would extend a temporary limitation on certain pension payments through September 30, 2034.

Estimated Federal Cost

The estimated budgetary effects of H.R. 8052 are shown in Table 1. The costs of the legislation fall within budget functions 550 (health) and 700 (veterans benefits and services).

Basis of Estimate

For this estimate, CBO assumes that H.R. 8052 will be enacted in fiscal year 2027 and that outlays will follow historical spending patterns for affected programs.

Provisions That Affect Direct Spending and Spending Subject to Appropriation

H.R. 8052 would require VA to provide scholarships to currently employed sterile processing technicians who do not possess professional certification from an accredited institution. That requirement would expire at the end of fiscal year 2028.

On the basis of information provided by VA, CBO estimates that about 3,000 technicians would be eligible for those scholarships. VA estimates that the costs to obtain certification would include examination fees, training, and travel. According to the department, self‑directed training would cost about $75 per technician and comprehensive training would cost about $500 per technician. CBO estimates that half of the affected technicians would complete self-directed training and the other half would complete comprehensive training, resulting in an average training cost of about $300. In addition, using information from VA, CBO estimates that examination fees would average $200 and that travel costs would average $80. In total, CBO estimates that providing scholarships to technicians would cost $2 million.

VA uses several appropriation accounts to pay for the costs of health care, disability claims processing, medical research, and information technology modernization. One of those accounts, the Toxic Exposures Fund (TEF), is a mandatory appropriation that can be used to pay for some of the costs of those activities if they support veterans who were exposed to toxic substances or environmental hazards.^[1] The other accounts are discretionary appropriations. H.R. 8052 would affect health care that benefits veterans with and without toxic exposures; therefore, enacting the bill would increase direct spending from the TEF as well as spending subject to appropriation. CBO allocates the estimated costs of legislation between the TEF and the discretionary appropriation accounts on the basis of the portion of all funding for those activities that are projected, in CBO’s baseline, to come from the TEF.

On that basis, CBO estimates that over the 2026-2036 period, implementing the certification requirements under H.R. 8052 would increase both direct spending and spending subject to appropriation by $1 million.

Direct Spending

In additionto requiring VA to provide scholarships to train and certify technicians, H.R. 8052 would affect direct spending by making changes to pensions paid to veterans and survivors. In total, CBO estimates that enacting H.R. 8052 would decrease net direct spending by $19 million over the 2026-2036 period (see Table 2).

Under current law, VA reduces pension payments to veterans and survivors who reside in Medicaid nursing homes to $90 per month. That required reduction expires January 31, 2033. H.R. 8052 would extend that reduction for 20 months, through September 30, 2034. CBO estimates that extending that requirement would reduce VA benefits by $2 million per month. As a result of that reduction in beneficiaries’ income, Medicaid would pay more of the cost of their care, increasing spending for that program by $1 million per month. Medicaid and VA pensions are paid from mandatory funds. Thus, enacting the provision would reduce net direct spending by $20 million over the 2026‑2036 period.

Pay-As-You-Go Considerations

The Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010 establishes budget-reporting and enforcement procedures for legislation affecting direct spending or revenues. The net changes in outlays that are subject to those pay-as-you-go procedures are shown in Table 2.

Increase in Long-Term Net Direct Spending and Deficits

CBO estimates that enacting H.R. 8052 would not increase net direct spending or on‑budget deficits in any of the four consecutive 10-year periods beginning in 2037.

Mandates

The bill contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act.

Estimate Prepared By

Federal Costs: 
Noah Callahan (for veterans’ health care) 
Logan Smith (for pensions and Medicaid)

Mandates: Brandon Lever

Estimate Reviewed By

David Newman
Chief, Defense, International Affairs, and Veterans’ Affairs Cost Estimates Unit

Kathleen FitzGerald 
Chief, Public and Private Mandates Unit

Christina Hawley Anthony
Deputy Director of Budget Analysis

Estimate Approved By