S. 3340, Mental Health Access to Continued Care and Enhancement of Support Services Act of 2012
Cost Estimate
As ordered reported by the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs on September 12, 2012
S. 3340 would extend mental health services offered by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to family members of active-duty servicemembers, enhance programs for homeless veterans, and make other changes to veterans’ health care, compensation and burial benefits. In total, CBO estimates that implementing the bill would have a discretionary cost of $310 million over the 2013-2017 period, assuming appropriation of the specified and estimated amounts.
As ordered reported by the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs on September 12, 2012
S. 3340 would extend mental health services offered by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to family members of active-duty servicemembers, enhance programs for homeless veterans, and make other changes to veterans’ health care, compensation and burial benefits. In total, CBO estimates that implementing the bill would have a discretionary cost of $310 million over the 2013-2017 period, assuming appropriation of the specified and estimated amounts.
In addition, CBO estimates that enacting the bill would decrease net direct spending by $32 million over the 2013-2022 period; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures apply to the bill. Enacting S. 3340 would not affect revenues.
S. 3340 would impose an intergovernmental mandate as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (UMRA) by preempting state licensing laws governing health care professionals in some circumstances. CBO estimates that the costs of that mandate would be small and would not exceed the threshold established in UMRA ($73 million in 2012, adjusted annually for inflation).
S. 3340 contains no new private-sector mandates as defined in UMRA.
