Brent Scowcroft Center Nonresident Senior Fellow James Joyner writes for The Hill on the situation facing the Department of Veterans Affairs:
The revelation that some 65 percent of executives at the embattled Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) received performance bonuses last year did something rare these days in our nation’s capital: It unified congressional Republicans and Democrats.
In a hearing Friday, it was revealed that all 470 of the VA’s senior executives were rated “Fully Successful” or higher at a time when the agency has been under fire for egregious claims backlogs and other difficulties. Indeed, over the past four years, none received ratings in the two lowest categories, “Minimally Satisfactory” or “Unsatisfactory,” and nearly 80 percent were rated either “Outstanding” or “Exceed Fully Successful,” making them eligible for performance awards. Some 65 percent in fact received said awards, which averaged around $9,000.