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DEMOCRATIC PRESS RELEASE

May 3, 2007

VA Officials that Miscalculated the Needs of our Veterans Awarded Significant Bonuses

Washington, D.C. – “This nation’s veterans health care system is strained to the breaking point. I do not understand how an underfunded agency has the resources to award a generous bonus package of $3.8 million to its employees at the same time it shoulders a backlog of 600,000 claims and asks veterans to wait months for necessary medical care.

Last Congress, the VA announced it faced a shortfall of almost $2 billion because it had not taken into account the returning veterans from the current deployments. It concerns me that the same officials that miscalculated the needs of our veterans were awarded with significant bonuses.

Democrats in Congress have demonstrated unwavering support for our nation’s veterans by working for the largest annual increase in VA health care spending in 77 years, but these resources are intended for the health care of our nation’s servicemembers and veterans, not for VA bureaucrats. I have directed the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee to hold a public hearing on this issue.

The Department of Veterans Affairs is routinely accused of being an adversary to the veteran and it is my mission to provide the resources and the oversight for this agency to be an advocate for the veteran.”

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Larry Scott

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