The appropriations plan would add more than $80 billion to the current VA funding level, giving the department its biggest budget ever.
Former president Jimmy Carter, a Navy veteran, passed away Sunday at his home in Plains, Georgia.
Department leaders had warned of funding gaps of up to $18 billion but now believe those estimates were too high.
Congress approved $3 billion in emergency VA funding in September, but officials now say they did not need the money to cover immediate bills.
