On Tuesday, members of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee reviewed new legislation which would allow the VA secretary to take back bonuses paid to department workers if evidence surfaces later of mismanagement, criminal activity or other workplace problems.
The bill, sponsored by committee chairman Rep. Jeff Miller, R-Fla., was touted by the panel as a common-sense measure to ensure VA employees don't keep bonuses they never deserved.
"The ability to recoup bonuses is a tool the secretary needs and that the American public would expect," he said.
Last week, Miller introduced separate legislation to reduce retirement pensions of senior employees found guilty of workplace crimes, limit paid administrative leave for executives under investigation, and cap the number of bonuses awarded to top VA officials.
In recent months, Congress and critics have blasted the department for being too lax on underperforming employees, especially senior officials involved in last year's scandals on patient wait times and medical record manipulation.
Last summer, lawmakers amended rules for firing senior executives from the department, speeding up the process in an effort to dump poorly performing managers in a matter of weeks instead of months.
But VA officials said that language had only limited effect on federal firing rules, and faced sharp criticism for still taking months to dismiss a number of senior executives involved in the wait times scandal.
Committee members have promised to revisit the firing issue, but called the new paycheck and bonus bills a next logical step in accountability for the VA bureaucracy. Miller said the VA's lack of authority to take back ill-gotten bonuses is "stunning" in light of recent problems there.
Veterans groups also offered support for the bonus recovery bill, noting that in recent years the department paid out more than $380,000 in bonuses to top executives at 38 hospitals under investigation for falsifying wait times for medical care.
Department officials have not taken a position on either measure, but on Tuesday noted that no other federal agency has provisions allowing a department secretary to recoup employee bonuses, unless a clerical error is discovered.
Members of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee have not weighed in on either piece of legislation yet, but committee leaders have promised that accountability will be one of their main points of focus in the coming year.
Leo covers Congress, Veterans Affairs and the White House for Military Times. He has covered Washington, D.C. since 2004, focusing on military personnel and veterans policies. His work has earned numerous honors, including a 2009 Polk award, a 2010 National Headliner Award, the IAVA Leadership in Journalism award and the VFW News Media award.
