John Hall D-NY seeks to stop bonus payment to VA officials until backlog cleared

[maddezmom]

WASHINGTON Top officials at the Veterans Affairs department have some hefty bonuses coming, but lawmakers on Capitol Hill want them stopped.

Congressman John Hall says he's introducing a bill to put the payments on hold until a backlog of veterans waiting for disability benefits is cleared. The New York Democrat calls the performance bonuses "shocking and scandalous even by the V-A's low standards."

Hall's move follows an Associated Press report that senior Veterans Affairs officials have bonuses of up to 33-thousand dollars coming. The current backlog of claims ranges between 400-and-600-thousand cases with delays averaging 177 days.

Democratic leaders have demanded V-A Secretary Jim Nicholson explain the bonuses and say they'll hold hearings to investigate.

more:http://www.kvia.com/global/story.asp?s=6469920



Contact your rep to support this:

http://www.house.gov/writerep/

[MissB]

1. Good move!

[Beaverhausen]

2. Great!!!

Let's take care of the soldiers, first, before rewarding the incomptents running the place.

[shraby]

3. I'll go one better. The question should be asked...

why do government employees (our employees) get bonuses when in the private sector probably 90% of the workers (who pay the government employees) do NOT get bonuses of any sort at all. Maybe it's time the government quits giving bonuses expecially for sub-standard work. The kind of work if it was performed in the private sector would put the person on the street without a job.

[maddezmom]

6. can't say I don't agree with you, but I support this

at least it'll put some more heat on the VA to get things straighten out

[in_cog_ni_to]

4. Why is it it's ALWAYS a DEMOCRAT who does the RIGHT THING? Notice no repuke has stepped forward

to do this? Where's THEIR outrage? THEY support the troops!!!!! or so they like to say. IMCPO, they couldn't care less about our Vets.

[Monkeyman]

5. A Huge K&R

[quiet.american]

7. Still the one -- go, Hall! n/t

[OneBlueSky]

8. that's my new Congressman . . . way to go, John! . . . n/t

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