[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 37 (Wednesday, March 4, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E302]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 AUTHORIZING SECRETARY OF VETERANS AFFAIRS TO RECOUP BONUSES AND AWARDS

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                               speech of

                           HON. JODY B. HICE

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, March 2, 2015

  Mr. JODY B. HICE of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of 
H.R. 280, legislation authorizing the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to 
recoup bonuses and awards paid to employees of the Department of 
Veterans Affairs. I would like to commend Chairman Miller for his 
continued leadership on this issue. I also want to express my gratitude 
to the House Veterans Affairs Committee for their hard work on this 
bill, and for its work last year on the Veterans Access, Choice, and 
Accountability Act of 2014.
  Last year, reports by the VA Office of Inspector General revealed 
widespread mismanagement, inadequate standards of care, and unnecessary 
delays for appointments in VA facilities across the country, including 
facilities in both Atlanta and Augusta, Georgia where veterans in my 
home district seek care. The appalling lack of responsible oversight at 
certain facilities led to the placement of veterans on secret waiting 
lists created to manipulate data in order to cover up long wait times. 
This was an inexcusable practice that prevented our nation's heroes 
from receiving the timely care that they deserve.
  Mr. Speaker, those responsible for overseeing those VA facilities 
were clearly failing at their jobs. Yet, in Fiscal Year 2013, VA issued 
over $380,000 in bonuses to employees at hospitals under investigation 
by the VA Inspector General for falsifying records. This is 
unacceptable. Under no circumstances should VA employees receive a 
`performance award' for purposefully fostering an environment of 
negligence. H.R. 280 provides the authority to the Secretary of 
Veterans Affairs to order VA employees to pay back their bonuses so 
that no employee will remain rewarded for their misconduct.
  We owe our veterans a great debt of gratitude, and one small way of 
repaying that debt is to ensure that our veterans receive the best 
possible care. This commonsense legislation will bring much-needed 
accountability to the VA system and I urge my colleagues to join me in 
supporting H.R. 280.

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