112 STAT. 3340 PUBLIC LAW 105-368 —NOV. 11, 1998 "(2) There is authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary for fiscal year 1999 and for each succeeding fiscal year through fiscal year 2004 for the purpose of making grants under paragraph (1).". TITLE V—COURT OF VETERANS APPEALS Subtitle A—Administrative Provisions Relating to the Court SEC. 501. CONTINUATION IN OFFICE OF JUDGES PENDING CONFIRMA- TION FOR SECOND TERM. Section 7253(c) is amended by adding at the end the following new sentence: "A judge who is nominated by the President for appointment to an additional term on the Court without a break in service and whose term of office expires while that nomination is pending before the Senate may continue in office for up to 1 year while that nomination is pending.". SEC. 502. EXEMPTION OF RETIREMENT FUND FROM SEQUESTRATION ORDERS. Section 7298 is amended by adding at the end the following new subsection: "(g) For purpose of section 255(g)(1)(B) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (2 U.S.C. 905(g)(1)(B)), the retirement fund shall be treated in the same manner as the Claims Judges' Retirement Fund.". SEC. 503. ADJUSTMENTS FOR SURVIVOR ANNUITIES. Subsection (o) of section 7297 is amended to read as follows: "(o) Each survivor annuity payable from the retirement fund shall be increased at the same time as, and by the same percentage by which, annuities payable from the Judicial Survivors' Annuities Fund are increased pursuant to section 376(m) of title 28.". SEC. 504. REPORTS ON RETIREMENT PROGRAM MODIFICATIONS. Deadline. (a) REPORT ON JUDGES' RETIREMENT SYSTEM.— Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the chief judge of the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims shall submit to the Committees on Veterans' Affairs of the Senate and House of Representatives a report on the feasibility and desirability of merging the retirement plan of the judges of that court with retirement plans of other Federal judges. Deadline. (b) REPORT ON SURVIVOR ANNUITIES PLAN.— Not later than 6 months after the date of the enactment of this Act, the chief judge of the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims shall submit to the Committees on Veterans' Affairs of the Senate and House of Representatives a report on the feasibility and desirability of allowing judges of that court to participate in the survivor annuity programs available to other Federal judges.
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