WASHINGTON (CNN) -- While hundreds of thousands of disability claims lay backlogged at the Department of Veterans Affairs, thousands of technology employees at the department received millions in bonuses, a new report says.Lawmakers want to know why some IT workers in the VA Department have received such excessive bonuses.
A report issued by the VA's Office of Inspector General said the department issued millions of dollars in awards over a two-year period in 2007 and 2008.
"The frequent and large dollar amount awards given to employees were unusual and often absurd," the report stated.
Four high-level employees received bonuses as high as $73,000 according to the report without sufficient justification. Another employee received a $4,500 performance award within the first 90 days of her employment from a manager who could not even remember her.
The inspector general said one recently retired official, Jennifer S. Duncan, improperly approved numerous bonuses and "acted as if she was given a blank checkbook to write unlimited monetary awards."
During the two years in question, Duncan also received more than $60,000 in bonuses, according to the report.
President Obama has told Congress it is a priority to reduce the number of backlogged claims at the VA. Claims are coming in at a faster rate than they can be processed.
See the complete story at http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/08/22/veterans.affairs.bonuses/index.html
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