Bill would block bonuses for top VA officials - Army News | News from Afghanistan & Iraq - Army Times

Bill would block bonuses for top VA officials

The House of Representatives could vote as early as May 16 on a bill that would freeze 2007 bonuses for senior Department of Veterans Affairs employees until the backlog of veterans’ benefits claims is reduced below 100,000.

Called the Pay Veterans First Act, the bill, HR 2292, is sponsored by Rep. John Hall, D-N.Y., chairman of the House Veterans’ Affairs disability assistance subcommittee. It is a response to the recent revelation that senior executive at the VA received $3.8 million in performance bonuses in 2006.

Hall’s bill is scheduled for a vote in the House, which could come as soon as May 16, according to his staff.

“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 claims,” Hall said in a statement.

According to a report provided to Congress, one of the people receiving the biggest VA bonus last year, $33,000, was the deputy undersecretary for benefits, who Hall said is responsible for the system that has a backlog of more than 600,000 claims and takes an average of six months to issue an initial decision on a claim and as long as two years to decide an appeal.

“It is simply unacceptable that veterans are waiting longer and longer for benefits they desperately need while senior staff members in charge of bad policy are rewarded with so-called performance bonuses,” Hall said. “These bonuses are a deeply flawed approach to the principle of ‘pay for performance.’ ”

Hall’s bill would not force anyone to return bonuses already received, but would prevent 2007 bonuses from being awarded unless the claims backlog is substantially reduced. Aides to Hall said this would give the VA until September, when performance awards are given, to make a big improvement in the claims process.