Federal employees at the Veterans Affairs Office a total of more than $140 million in bonuses for good performance during 2015, despite a number of widely-publicized scandals that have brought the spotlight on the office and resulted in several resignations.
During a speech at the Veteran’s Day Observance at Arlington National Cemetery, President Obama urged the VA to do more for veterans.
Obama told listeners that, “The unacceptable problems that we’ve seen, like long wait times and some veterans not getting the timely care they need, is a challenge for all of us, if we are to match our words with our deeds. I am still not satisfied.”
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VA Secretary Bob McDonald defended the awarded of nearly $200 million this year despite a myriad of scandals. He told reporters that the bonuses are unremarkable and even argued that the bonuses were deserved.
He went on to say that just because there are problems in the department, the “rank and file” should not lose their bonuses. “Occasionally we make errors; those deserve more scrutiny. But severely curtailing or ending awards, only in the VA, would be a mistake, negatively impacting veterans and our ability to attract top talent,” he said.
Despite his passion for rewarding “deserving” employees, a report by USA Today shows that the distribution of the awards may need more attention. Several employees and offices involved in scandals were awarded bonuses for their work last year.
Bonuses were not restricted to offices that have performed well, as some federal employees in the Philadelphia Office received bonuses ranging from $300 to $900 each. One watchdog group identified the Philadelphia office as the worst VA office in the entire country. Additionally, McDonald approved bonuses for mangers at the Tomah, Wisconsin office that is jokingly referred to as “Candyland” because they are well known to over prescribe opiate drugs to veterans. Managers here received bonuses of $1,000+.
Public records also show that one employee received a $900 bonus despite earlier allegations (and admission) of driving a government after drinking alcohol. A co-worker fell from the truck and died. The employee, Jed Fillingim, resigned but then returned to work.
Several officials from the VA office were subpoenaed last month on accusations that they manipulated the VA system to secure new positions with less responsibility but the same pay. One of those officials, regional director Kimberly Graves, received almost $9,000 last year.
Former VA Secretary Eric Shinseki promised to suspend bonuses in 2014 after a fake wait list scandal appeared in the media. However, the suspension of bonuses affected few officials. Since then, Congress passed a bill to ban executive bonuses for five years. However, the changes to the bill allow the VA to award a maximum of $360 million in bonuses per year.
Florida Representative Jeff Miller chairs the House Committee responsible for VA oversight, told reporters that he felt this year’s bonuses are representative of “a disturbing trend of rewarding employees who preside over corruption and incompetence.”
