[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 64 (Thursday, May 1, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E652-E653]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    MILITARY CONSTRUCTION AND VETERANS AFFAIRS AND RELATED AGENCIES 
                        APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2015

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                           HON. PHIL GINGREY

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, April 30, 2014

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the state of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 4486) making 
     appropriations for military construction, the Department of 
     Veterans Affairs, and related agencies for the fiscal year 
     ending September 30, 2015, and for other purposes:

  Mr. GINGREY of Georgia. Mr. Chair, I rise today in support of my 
friend Mr. Rothfus's commonsense amendment to H.R. 4486. I also want to 
thank Chairman Culberson for his hard work on this legislation on 
behalf of our nation's veterans.
  This amendment would prohibit senior VA officials from collecting 
bonuses. According to several reports by the Inspector General at the 
Department of Veterans Affairs, there have been a series of tragic--and 
preventable--deaths at VA facilities across the country. The 
preventable deaths in the VA healthcare system have been attributed to 
mismanagement, improper oversight, and failure to schedule timely 
medical appointments, among other errors.
  Yet, despite the fact that more than 20 deaths have been attributed 
to mismanagement and lack of oversight, tens of thousands of dollars in 
bonuses were awarded to top level executives at the VA.
  This practice has been evident at the Atlanta VA Medical Center, 
where Inspector General reports highlighted widespread mismanagement, 
delays in care, and a lack of uniform and acceptable policies. At least 
three deaths--and possibly a fourth--have been attributed to this lack 
of oversight, including a suicidal patient who was supposed to be 
closely monitored by staff in the hospital's mental health ward but 
died of a drug overdose after staff members lost track of him for

[[Page E653]]

hours. Despite the fact that as many as four unexpected deaths were 
attributed to mismanagement and lack of oversight, thousands of dollars 
in bonuses were awarded to top level executives at the facility.
  At the Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center in Augusta, thousands of 
patients sat on a backlogged list for endoscopy consultations after 
management failed to act in a timely manner to schedule appointments 
for checkups in the gastrointestinal clinic. These delays contributed 
to the deaths of three patients, who died waiting for care in what 
could otherwise have been a treatable illness. No one has been fired at 
this facility--to the contrary, VA refuses to say whether or not 
officials there are eligible for bonuses despite the deaths. Simply 
put, our veterans deserve better.
  It is past time that we stop rewarding people for simply showing up 
to work--bonuses should be the exception, not the norm. It should never 
be easier to get a bonus than to get fired, but that is what we have 
seen at the VA.
  Top officials at facilities from Atlanta to Pittsburgh have received 
``performance awards,'' even while veterans died. Veterans deserve to 
know that in return for serving their country, they will not be 
endangered in the very place they go to seek care. They deserve the 
peace of mind that would come from knowing that those responsible for 
the tragic deaths received more than a slap on the wrist one day and a 
bonus the next. Our veterans deserve to know that deaths in the system 
are taken seriously and met with consequences. It is incomprehensible 
that management officials could simultaneously be complicit in 
mismanagement that led to a preventable death and also rewarded with a 
hefty bonus.
  Furthermore, at a time when so many of our soldiers are returning 
from war, and in light of the deaths in Georgia and across the country, 
I believe the VA should prioritize veterans' health and well-being 
above all else.
  Mr. Chair, I believe we should reward our veterans with quality care 
and services in exchange for their commitment to our country and our 
freedoms. Money spent on executive bonuses would be better spent on 
ensuring our nation's men and women in uniform receive the best 
possible care when they come home.
  I urge my colleagues to join me in expressing support for our 
nation's veterans by supporting this amendment, and I yield back the 
balance of my time.

                          ____________________