We wrote last week about the anger rising at news that senior VA officials received bonuses while the veterans they are supposed to serve languished in a 600,000 case backlog. Some of our friends are among those waiting, so this issue isn't abstract for us.
Now, Congressman Walz says he's lost confidence in VA Secretary Jim Nicholson, and is calling for him to resign if the secretary can't prove the bonuses were based on some documented successes inthe VA system.
If Nicholson resigns, we'd like to see veteran in the job who has experience in administering a large bureaucracy, not just a veteran who was head of the Republican National Committee.
The text of the latest statement from Representative Walz:
Washington, DC - Congressman Tim Walz (D-MN) announced today that he will cosponsor legislation to freeze funds for all bonuses slated to be paid to senior level Veterans' Affairs Department officials in fiscal year 2007. The legislation, authored by Rep. John Hall (D-NY) will prevent bonuses from being distributed until the backlog of veterans benefit cases is reduced to less than 100,000 claims.
"The VA is sitting on a backlog of over 600,000 benefits cases," said Walz, "and yet the VA political appointees responsible for this dismal performance awarded themselves the largest bonuses in the federal government. My colleagues and I are outraged to see money intended for the care of our veterans distributed to those who are letting our veterans down."
Walz serves on the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs and is the highest ranking enlisted soldier ever to serve in Congress. The legislation comes after revelations last week that VA officials received more than $3.8 million in fiscal year 2006 bonuses despite a budget shortfall at the VA of more than $1 billion. Several officials received bonuses of up to $33,000, including the Deputy Undersecretary for Benefits, who is responsible for managing more than 600,000 backlogged cases, which have an average wait time of 177 days.
"I have lost confidence in Secretary Nicholson and a number of the VA's senior officials," said Walz. "I intend to give the Secretary a chance to explain himself to the Veterans' Affairs Committee this week. If the Secretary cannot prove that those bonuses were based on significant documented successes that I am currently unaware of, then Secretary Nicholson should step down."
Last week, BSP posted about the letter Walz and his colleagues on the House VA Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations sent a letter to Secretary Nicholson asking him to explain the excessive bonuses. The letter is in our earlier post.
Another way of looking at the bonuses (in addition to the backlog of veterans needing care) is to compare the size of the bonuses with the pay of those doing the fighting. Our friend Hal at Blue Man in a Red District has the story.
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