It’s rare for this observer to say a government official, much less a Biden administration Cabinet member, did the right thing. But in at least one case, such an official did just that. Unfortunately, the official did so only to remedy a problem his own department’s mismanagement and corruption had created.
A recent House Veterans Affairs Committee hearing examined a scandal whereby senior Veterans Administration/Affairs (VA) officials received millions of dollars in taxpayer-funded bonuses they did not deserve. Secretary Denis McDonough took swift action to rescind and recover the money on behalf of taxpayers once he finally discovered the scandal, but the ordeal raises obvious questions about the bureaucratic mess that led to this fiasco.
Bureaucratic Cash Grab
The bonuses in question came as a result of the “burn pits” legislation Congress passed in 2022, which expanded eligibility for benefits to veterans exposed to toxic substances. In that bill, Congress authorized a new type of incentive program, called critical skill incentives, intended to reward people in mission-critical positions who would bear increased responsibilities due to the growth of the VA’s caseload.
As McDonough noted in his testimony to the committee, most of the incentive payments have gone to VA personnel out in the field (i.e., at VA clinics) working in areas such as housekeeping, food service, police, and HR. These awards have averaged about $8,000 — what in the private sector might constitute a decent-sized Christmas bonus or year-end performance award for a job well done.
By comparison, the awards
