Report: $8.8 million in taxpayer-funded bonuses at seven accused VA facilities since 2011 (VIDEO)

Hot Air ^ | May 23 2014 | Guy Benson

[PoloSec]

Open the Books — a good government and transparency-minded watchdog organization — does exactly what their name implies, and discovers that taxpayers showered officials at seven embattled VA locations with nearly $9 million in bonus pay between 2011 and 2013:

Now, at least seven VA centers are being investigated for “secret” waiting lists. Here are the bonuses into these troubled facilities (2011-2013):

Now, at least seven VA centers are being investigated for “secret” waiting lists. Here are the bonuses into these troubled facilities (2011-2013):

1. Edward Hines, JR Hospital, Cook County, IL ($4.1356 million) 2. Malcolm Randall VA Medical Center, Gainesville, FL ($575,400) 3. New Mexico VA Health Care System Albuquerque, NM ($2.646 million) 4. Gulf Coast Veterans Health Care System Home, Biloxi, MS ($247,103) 5. Miami VA Healthcare System Miami, FL ($334,987) 6. Fort Collins Outpatient Clinic, Fort Collins, CO ($4,150) 7. Phoenix VA Health Care System Home, Phoenix, AZ ($843,000)

TOTAL: 12,549 bonuses for $8.787 million (2011-2013)

[MeshugeMikey]

[Leaning Right]

I’m not in in favor of bonuses even when everything goes perfectly. You are paid to do your job. So just do it.

Do your job well, and you get to keep your job. Do your job poorly, and you lose your job. Evidently that mindset is completely outdated.

[TurboZamboni]

If you like your bonus for failure you can keep it.

[GeronL]

Starting to seem like government bonuses are paid out no matter what.

[Hotlanta Mike]

Echoes of the Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac democrat self enrichment program (Raines, Johnson, Gorelick) and the democrats that all pretended there was nothing to see there.

[hal ogen]

Lighten-up. At least the dieing-through-neglect Veterans get to see nice lawns at the VA facilities and sit in nice furniture if they visit the administrators’ offices.

[Domangart]

Consider this; The schedule is part of a large integrated system that the entire network uses. Just how do the drones keep a separate system? How do people at several locations use a system that does not exist?

[Gasshog]

Did the goobermint employees at the VA also whoop it up in Vegas?

[GrandJediMasterYoda]

I tend to agree to bonuses if an employee is directly responsible for a company making more money, but how about the IRS bonuses? How the hell does that work? We pay their salary to take money from us, and then we pay them again for taking money from us? That’s double dipping, flat out stealing. When we go to a toll booth and pay a toll, do we have to pay the toll booth again for taking our money?