Lawmaker: Stop bonuses for VA officials

[maddezmom]

Source: AP

By HOPE YEN

WASHINGTON -- The chairman of a House panel wants to stop hefty bonus payments to senior Veterans Affairs officials until they reduce a severe backlog of veterans waiting for disability benefits.

Rep. John Hall, D-N.Y., said Friday he was introducing legislation to place a hold on this year's bonuses after The Associated Press reported that senior VA officials involved in a budget foul-up which jeopardized veterans' health care received bonuses ranging up to $33,000.

Under the measure, 2007 bonuses could not be released until the VA pares down its backlog to under 100,000 cases - a feat the VA has said could take many months, if not years. Currently, the backlog of claims ranges from between 400,000 to more than 600,000, with delays averaging 177 days.

"It is shocking and scandalous even by the VA's own low standards that top officials at the VA would get performance bonuses when there's a backlog of over 600,000 cases," said Hall, chairman of the House Veterans Affairs subcommittee on disability assistance.

A list obtained by the AP of bonuses to senior career officials in 2006 documents a generous package of more than $3.8 million in payments by a financially strapped agency straining to help care for thousands of injured veterans returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan.



Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/692/story/96170.html

[havocmom]

1. The feudal lords and their sheriffs get the harvest

the serf's and infantries toil until death

America is in a dark age

[maddezmom]

2. call your reps

http://www.house.gov/house/MemberWWW.shtml

[TheTimmer]

3. Just called

My Congress-critter (Blumenauer) to get my support of this on his plate, and called Hall's office just to offer my support to this bill.

[maddezmom]

4. thanks

another kick

:kick:

[maddezmom]

5. CNN: Outrage over benefits puts Veterans Affairs back in hot seat

Outrage over benefits puts Veterans Affairs back in hot seat
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Department of Veterans Affairs finds itself under fire again after documents released to CNN showed bonuses of up to $33,000 were given to senior officials, including the deputy undersecretary for benefits, who has been heavily criticized for veterans claims backlogs reaching into the hundreds of thousands.

"It is shocking and scandalous even by the VA's own low standards that top officials at the VA would be getting the most lucrative performance bonuses in government when there is a backlog of over 600,000 benefits cases," said John Hall, D-New York, chairman of the House Veterans' Affairs Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs.

Hall said he will introduce legislation Monday to freeze all bonuses to senior-level department officials until the claims backlog is brought under 100,000. And the chairman of the House Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee, Bob Filner, D-California, has announced his committee will hold hearings.

more: http://edition.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/europe/05/04/friday/index.html?section=cnn_latest