VA paid nearly $11M in bonuses to ineligible executives, watchdog finds

[pacmanx1]

A watchdog report finds breakdowns in communications — and leadership — led to the Department of Veterans Affairs paying nearly $11 million in bonuses to career executives who weren’t eligible to receive them.

VA’s inspector general office, in a report released Thursday, found the department improperly awarded $10.8 million in critical skills incentives (CSIs) to more than 180 executives.

Congress authorized these incentives under the toxic-exposure PACT Act to help the VA retain employees with in-demand skills, or skills that are in short supply, and serve a mission-critical need.

VA OIG found a wider scope of improper bonuses than the department previously stated. The VA announced last September that it paid out $9.7 million in bonuses to 170 career executives at VA’s Central Office.

VA paid nearly $11M in bonuses to ineligible executives, watchdog finds (federalnewsnetwork.com)

[broncovet]

I saw that.  Here is how execs get away with this theft of funds designed to compensate Veterans.  

1.  The VA whines that its problems are because "they lack funding from congress", that if VA only had more money from congress, they could serve Veterans better.  

2.  Congress awards more money.  

3.  The VA, instead of paying Veterans  deserved compensation, doles out bonuses to each other (that is, other VA executives, expecting that favor to be returned. ). They do this, in no small part, by denying Veterans compensation they deserve AND by fighting Veterans in the appeals process.  The VA has about 500 lawyers "on the ready" to fight Veterans who want/deserve their benefits.  VA knows they will often lose in court, but its worth it to them because, many or most Vets either die, or give up on their benefits sometimes due to failing health, OR, they make the Veterans wait so long on benefits the compensation is pushed into future years, where, you guessed it, VA gets more money from congress.  Sometimes the VA has to pay Vets the money they deserve, but they never get interest, so VA uses the Veterans money "interest free" and pays the Veteran with inflated dollars years or even decades down the road.  

4.  Again, Veterans get the short end of the stick, complain to congress and VA says its because there is not enough funding, that congress should allocate VA more. 

5.  If there are complaints regarding VA executive bonuses, its covered up quietly by the VAOIG, who are also on the take of bonuses.   

WILD card, which causes problems for VEts:   Doctors warrant, and deserve higher pay than VA will pay them.  Many doctors have hundreds of thousands of dollars owed in student loans to get through medical school and cant afford to work for peanuts, so VA pays them in bonuses, as the max salary VA will pay tops out at around $150k, and very good docs can make at least double that in private practice.  

So, the VA implements a "bonus system" to hire and keep needed doctors, and VA execs figure out a way to abuse this and pay the bonuses to each other. (other VA executives).  Its "you approve my bonus and I will approve yours".  

Now, its cover up complaints with the VAOIG, and repeat the process each year.  Thus, VA execs make more money, Veterans get the shaft.  VA execs repeat this, and teach new VA execs, who are often friends and family of old VA execs.  

If a compentent, honest and qualified VA exec erroneously gets promoted to VA exec, then they fire that executive if he refuses to comply with the above corruption, or if the VA exec blows the whistle.  Whistle blowers are immediately fired, then its all covered up by other VA executives, and the VAOIG.  

Edited August 6 by broncovet

[john999]

The only good VA doctors I ever had were "promoted" away or quit.  The system stinks and we all know it.  You know when you are being treated like crap.  Everything in Bronco's post is true and probably much worse if we knew what really goes on.

[Lemuel]

I have decided to move to the Philippines on a retirement visa.  Was a fight to get what my urologist wanted done at VA Cheyenne.  The Urologist was from community care.

At the University of the Philippines, I will get the care I need and pay what the VA will not pay out pocket.  Given the Denver office that is supposed to pay and my experience with them, I expect to have to pay without getting reimbursed.  But at least I will get some of the best care I can afford.

Probably better than if I lived next door to the Mayo Clinic or Cedar Sinai. 

Edited August 12 by Lemuel
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