House passes bill to rescind VA bonuses

The House passed legislation on Monday that would allow the Secretary of Veterans’ Affairs to rescind bonuses paid to his department’s employees.

The bill passed on a voice vote.

{mosads}House Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chairman Jeff Miller (R-Fla.) said that the bill would solidify that the VA has authority to take away bonuses from incompetent employees.

“As these investigations into falsified wait times, data manipulation and several other issues at the VA continue, I hope this authority will be applied appropriately and that it will be utilized as yet another tool for the secretary to use to instill true accountability throughout his agency on behalf of America’s veterans,” Miller said.

Rep. Corrine Brown (D-Fla.), the top Democrat on the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee, who supported the bill, said that the rescinding of bonuses should be applied judiciously.

“I would like to point out that if this bill is enacted, the VA will be the only department that I’m aware of where the secretary will have the power to recoup bonuses. I hope the secretary and those that follow the secretary will use this authority with caution,” Brown said. 

The House also passed a separate bill on Monday that would set a cap for funds spent on VA employee bonuses, as well as to allow the VA to enter contracts for medical foster home care.