WASHINGTON— U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) moved to stop the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) from awarding bonuses to employees who deliberately manipulated wait lists at VA hospitals.
The legislation, originally S.627, establishes guidelines to prevent bonuses from being awarded to employees who have violated VA policy or the law. It will also ensure that information on reprimands be kept in the employees permanent record.
Dr. Cassidy helped the bill advance in the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee markup of legislation today to increase accountability at the VA, which also included legislation to improve veterans’ health care and benefits.
Watch remarks HERE and see excerpts below:
…If we want to improve the VA system, we need to focus on the quality of the workforce. And workforce morale is seriously affected when those who have failed to do their jobs receive undeserved bonuses or do not have information on reprimands retained in their permanent record. How does this incentivize honest workers to do a better job if we reward those who do not? We need this bill.”