; and (II) those beneficiaries whose health benefits, defined as those benefits payable, following death or retirement or upon a finding of disability, directly by an employer in the bituminous coal industry under a coal wage agreement (as defined in section 9701(b)(1) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986), would be denied or reduced as a result of a bankruptcy proceeding commenced in 2012 or 2015. For purposes of subclause (I), a beneficiary enrolled in the Plan as of the date of the enactment of the HELP for Coal Miners Health Care Act of 2017 shall be deemed to have been eligible to receive health benefits under the Plan on January 1, 2017. (iii) Eligibility of certain retirees Individuals referred to in clause (ii)(II) shall be treated as eligible to receive health benefits under the Plan. (iv) Requirements for transfer The amount of the transfer otherwise determined under this subparagraph for a fiscal year shall be reduced by any amount transferred for the fiscal year to the Plan, to pay benefits required under the Plan, from a voluntary employees' beneficiary association established as a result of a bankruptcy proceeding described in clause (ii). . (b) Effective date The amendments made by this section shall apply to fiscal years beginning after September 30, 2016. (c) GAO audit Not later than 3 years after the date of the enactment of this Act, and every 3 years thereafter, the Comptroller General of the United States shall conduct a study of the Multiemployer Health Benefit Plan described in section 402(h)(2)(C)(i) of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 ( 30 U.S.C. 1232(h)(2)(C)(i) ) and shall submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a report analyzing whether Federal funds are being spent appropriately by such Plan. 4. Clarification of financing obligations (a) In general Subsection (a) of section 9704 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is amended— (1) by striking paragraph (3), (2) by striking three premiums and inserting two premiums , and (3) by striking , plus at the end