As vets await checks, VA workers get $24M bonuses

[strollingbones]

WASHINGTON – Outside the Veterans Affairs Department, severely wounded veterans have faced financial hardship waiting for their first disability payment. Inside, money has been flowing in the form of $24 million in bonuses.

In scathing reports this week, the VA's inspector general said thousands of technology office employees at the VA received the bonuses over a two-year period, some under questionable circumstances. It also detailed abuses ranging from nepotism to an inappropriate relationship between two VA employees.

The inspector general accused one recently retired VA official of acting "as if she was given a blank checkbook" as awards and bonuses were distributed to employees of the Office of Information and Technology in 2007 and 2008. In some cases the justification for the bonuses was inadequate or questionable, the IG said.

The official, Jennifer S. Duncan, also engaged in nepotism and got $60,000 in bonuses herself, the IG said. In addition, managers improperly authorized college tuition payments for VA employees, some of whom were Duncan's family members and friends. That cost taxpayers nearly $140,000.

As vets await checks, VA workers get $24M bonuses - Yahoo! News

 

[Big Black Dog]

It's easy to see that the good old Democratic leadership is working well in Washington these days.

 

[007]

A service connected veteran, like myself, goes through hell jumping through burning hoops and crawling on his hands and knees down gravel roads for YEARS just to try and get a little money for a service connected injury... and then you hear stories like this about the very people that were so reluctant to give you a penny... makes me ill...

 

[JakeStarkey]

Two years? That lumps the Bushies, Black Black Dog, for most, if not all, of this. I doubt the year two years did not end at midnight last night. Sounds like Obamainvestigators got the bushies out and out taking your money for no good reason other than they wanted it.

 

[WillowTree]

so now the question is are ya gonna load the goddamn busses with acorn and seicu and send them out to retrieve the bonus? wellareyahuh?

 

[JakeStarkey]

so now the question is are ya gonna load the goddamn busses with acorn and seicu and send them out to retrieve the bonus? wellareyahuh?

Willow, you make some silly posts, but this is one of the silliest.

 

[KittenKoder]

I heard horror stories from the homeless vets while I was shelter hopping.

 

[RetiredGySgt]

Two years? That lumps the Bushies, Black Black Dog, for most, if not all, of this. I doubt the year two years did not end at midnight last night. Sounds like Obamainvestigators got the bushies out and out taking your money for no good reason other than they wanted it.

Wrong again Congress was run by Democrats two years ago dumb ass. And Congress not the President controls the purse strings.

 

[Dis]

Two years? That lumps the Bushies, Black Black Dog, for most, if not all, of this. I doubt the year two years did not end at midnight last night. Sounds like Obamainvestigators got the bushies out and out taking your money for no good reason other than they wanted it.

so now the question is are ya gonna load the goddamn busses with acorn and seicu and send them out to retrieve the bonus? wellareyahuh?

so now the question is are ya gonna load the goddamn busses with acorn and seicu and send them out to retrieve the bonus? wellareyahuh?

Willow, you make some silly posts, but this is one of the silliest.

At lease her post makes sense. Have you read yours prior to hitting submit?

 

[Ravi]

as awards and bonuses were distributed to employees of the Office of Information and Technology in 2007 and 2008

Wasteful spending under Bush?

 

[KittenKoder]

as awards and bonuses were distributed to employees of the Office of Information and Technology in 2007 and 2008

Wasteful spending under Bush?

No one with a brain has denied that he wasted money.

 

[wvpeach]

You know this is exactly what is wrong with this country. Nag, nag , bitch bitch.
Complain about nothing. And gossip about every little insignificant thing.

Some words from the original piece.

their first disability payment

received the bonuses over a two-year period,

some under questionable circumstances.

inappropriate relationship between two VA employees.

The inspector general accused one recently retired VA official

First of all Senator Jim Webb of Virginia a VET himself with a son in Iraq set about as soon as he was elected to the senate in 2006 passing the first VA bill expansion in like 30 years. McCain and Bush fought it all the way trying to say it was too generous with educational benefits and would hurt retention. But the Dems stuck together and got it passed . According to Iraq and Afghanistan Vets that bill is making life a lot easier for todays Vets. Vets you should think a Democrat that you're kids can now use your college benefits if you decide not to. And that the VA has enough money to take care of our returning hero's.

Next notice the words of this article people.

First payment. ................. Guess what Vets groups get paid now under the new bill to help Vets fill out that paper work and stay on top of it making sure they get that first check as fast as possible. I am told at the local VFW that thanks to that new provision under the new GI bill, Vets are getting that first check much faster. Much faster than they were that is under a Republican controlled government.

Lets see other words.

Some.................. how many is some?

Two the article say? Okay two . or some!

Seems they found a bad apple woman in the VA . Nailed her and now are dressing her down in a report.

So what is the big deal? Humans are not perfect and there are bad apples in every batch. The trick is to catch such people and get rid of them. She's been caught.

The problem is people will see something like this and rant and rave mindlessly acting like this is normal. When in fact it's not. My father, father in law , brothers and daughter are Vets. They all love the VA. As does a young man I love who came home from Iraq missing a leg. By the way they bought him a car he can drive and helped with the down payment on his first home and are sending him to school all the while he works at the Columbus Oh VA helping Vets fill out their paperwork. And getting a good disability check. I know several young Iraq vets , friends of my kids and none of them complain about not getting their due. In fact all of them are taking advantage of their VA benefits and making something of the rest of their life's.

The glass is always not half empty people.

The VA is a class act. The great majority of Vets would tell you that.
Made even better by finally being funded correctly under the latest GI bill which was a Democrat idea and bill by the way.

So first and foremost thank a VET for their service.

Then if you can muster up a bit of thanks left thank JIM Webb and the Democrats for caring enough to see that our Vets have what they need when they come home.

 

[RetiredGySgt]

as awards and bonuses were distributed to employees of the Office of Information and Technology in 2007 and 2008

Wasteful spending under Bush?

Once again JUST for you, Presidents do not create bonuses, nor do they approve them, give them out or create them. Congress does that through the Budget. IF a Politician or politicians are at all to blame, it would be the Democrats that controlled Congress in 2007 and 2008. They controlled BOTH houses by the way.

Further they created the law that allowed this person to give them out not a President. In fact it is highly unlikely that such a provision in any bill would even get noticed by a President as he considered signing it or not signing it.

So once again Congress approved the money and it was a Democratically controlled Congress. Wanna blame someone? Blame the right people.

 

[DiveCon]

as awards and bonuses were distributed to employees of the Office of Information and Technology in 2007 and 2008

Wasteful spending under Bush?

Once again JUST for you, Presidents do not create bonuses, nor do they approve them, give them out or create them. Congress does that through the Budget. IF a Politician or politicians are at all to blame, it would be the Democrats that controlled Congress in 2007 and 2008. They controlled BOTH houses by the way.

Further they created the law that allowed this person to give them out not a President. In fact it is highly unlikely that such a provision in any bill would even get noticed by a President as he considered signing it or not signing it.

So once again Congress approved the money and it was a Democratically controlled Congress. Wanna blame someone? Blame the right people.

actually, i do believe the 2007 budget was set before Oct 2006
so it would have been passed by the GOP controled congress at that time
i hold both party's responsible for the mess that we are in


whats really odd, is most of the same people that want the government to run all healthcare, are the ones making the big stink about this, but only if they can blame someone other than the party they either belong to, or favor

 

[Luissa]

why do we need to blame anyone? For two years a few people were taking advantage of the system, they found out and now they are doing something about it. Blame the people who did the crime.

 

[editec]

Bad government is bad, without doubt.

 

[RetiredGySgt]

why do we need to blame anyone? For two years a few people were taking advantage of the system, they found out and now they are doing something about it. Blame the people who did the crime.

That was the point. Or did you miss my saying IF. You may want to talk to your liberal buddies about this blame Bush syndrome they have. This is nothing more than an attempt to distract from all the problems the current Congress has caused aided and abetted by our Current President.

 

[Luissa]

I wasn't just responding to you, I was also responding to people who were blaming Bush.
No one is to blame except the people who took advantage of the system and I am glad it only took two years for them to figure out what they were doing.

 

[asaratis]

Blame big government rather than either party of thieves. Big government thrives on corruption, nepotism, favoritism, inefficiency, over-staffing, all of these being exercised throughout the various agencies...not just the VA...and people of ALL parties partake.

In big government, the needs of those intended to be served by the system will always play second fiddle to the funding of the ongoing of the staffs and their over-paid supervisors. This funding includes salaries, travel expenses, bonuses, free meals, personal use of government transportation and whatever else one can imagine a government employee charging to his government issued credit card. When the taxpayers are collectively paying the bill, the sky is the limit.

Our veterans would be better served (and they certainly deserve to be) if the system could be privatized (albeit subsidized) and left in the control of people that can actually be fired for non-performance.

 

[goldcatt]

as awards and bonuses were distributed to employees of the Office of Information and Technology in 2007 and 2008

Wasteful spending under Bush?

Once again JUST for you, Presidents do not create bonuses, nor do they approve them, give them out or create them. Congress does that through the Budget. IF a Politician or politicians are at all to blame, it would be the Democrats that controlled Congress in 2007 and 2008. They controlled BOTH houses by the way.

Further they created the law that allowed this person to give them out not a President. In fact it is highly unlikely that such a provision in any bill would even get noticed by a President as he considered signing it or not signing it.

So once again Congress approved the money and it was a Democratically controlled Congress. Wanna blame someone? Blame the right people.

Not necessarily. Congress appropriates the budget of Executive agencies and has oversight power, but is not in direct day to day control of the checkbook. The question then becomes: Was there a specific appropriation for these bonuses, and if so, did the manner in which they were handed out comply with the law? If the answers are yes and yes, then you have a valid point.
I don't know the answer myself, but then again I'm not looking to blame anybody but the person who wrote the checks.