This memorandum responds to your request for updated information on spending trends for veterans' benefits and services. As you requested, tables 1 through 4 update information from an earlier Congressional Research Service (CRS) memorandum. The updated information is based on data obtained from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) at the time of the release of the President's 1993 budget proposal. The tables you asked to be updated were based on last year's budget, which had historical data through 1990 and estimated data for 1991 and 1992. This memorandum's tables update this information, providing actual 1991 outlays and estimated outlays for 1992 and 1993. Additionally, OMB has revised the historical series on total Federal outlays, a revision reflected in this memorandum's tables. The estimated outlays are based on the President's 1993 budget proposal and the economic and technical assumptions of the budget. Table 4 shows veterans' benefits and services as a percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) rather than Gross National Product (GNP). This reflects the new emphasis placed on the GDP measure in most Federal Government documents. Table 5 presents a comparison of 1984 to 1993 outlays from the veterans' medical and prosthetic research account with those from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Veterans' medical and prosthetic research outlays are from OMB; NIH outlays from 1984 through 1993 were obtained from NIH. If you have any questions, please call me at 707-5867. CRS-2 TABLE 1. Total Federal Outlays and Veterans' Benefits and The above table indicates that in 1977 the percentage of total Federal outlays spent on veterans benefits and services was 4.4 percent. It is estimated that in 1993, this share would be 2.3 percent under the President's budget proposals and the economic and technical assumptions underlying the budget. Source: Table prepared by the Congressional Research Service (CRS) based on data from the Office of Management and Budget obtained in January 1992. The medicare program was enacted in 1965; this ratio is for 1993 to 1970. Source: Table prepared by the Congressional Research Service (CRS) based on data from the Office of Management and Budget obtained in January 1992. "Outlays are from budget function 550, which does not include medicare, Department of Veterans Affaris, or Department of Defense spending for health care. Source: Table prepared by the Congressional Research Service (CRS) based on data from the Office of Management and Budget obtained in January 1992. |