Just ONE VA hospital gave out 10 million in bonuses in just three years, way, WAY more than what was previously thought.  Think of all the VA hospitals around the country who did the same, or worse.

And liberals are aghast at those racist Tea Party people who get upset about accountability in the government.

From the AP article:

Documents from the VA indicate than 2,100 employees got bonuses over the course of a three-year period, the Arizona Republic reported Tuesday.

The records, which were obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request, show the bonuses kept increasing. The VA paid $2.5 million in 2011, $3.5 million in 2012 and $3.9 million last year. The merit-based bonuses were doled out to nearly 650 employees each of those years. The employees included doctors, nurses, administrators, secretaries and cleaning staff.

Over TEN MILLION DOLLARS in bonuses to people who can’t be bothered to care for our Veterans.

I doubt many of them deserved a damn paycheck, let alone a bonus.

The Arizona Republic obtained this new information about these excessive bonuses after seeking them for months:

The figures are sure to rile lawmakers, considering the Phoenix branch is at the heart of the current scandal over staff manipulating patient wait-time records. Further, investigators have found that workers covered up those lengthy wait-times in order to make their internal numbers look good, in turn triggering the copious bonuses.

“Awarding bonuses to anyone who knew about misleading data and hidden lists is infuriating. The VA should fire those who knowingly participated in corruption, and it should overhaul its appointment scheduling system so that veterans, not financial rewards, are the priority,” Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick, D-Ariz., told the Arizona Republic.

According to the newspaper, bonuses increased year after year — from $2.5 million in 2011 to $3.9 million in 2013.

My opinion?

Government agencies should not pay bonuses.   They incentivize government employees to cheat, lie, and steal, with no oversight except by the ones doing the cheating, lying. and stealing.  Maybe there is a time and place for bonuses in these type of governmental agencies but they should be determined by an OUTSIDE ENTITY.

Bonuses really only belong in private, business, period.  In private business, bonuses (and who receives them) are determined by people who have a vested interest in the company or business.  They are the business owners stockholders, and the upper management that answers to the pockets of owners and stockholders.  Governmental agencies are paid with money supplied by TAXPAYERS and we, the TAXPAYERS have no way to determine if anyone is deserving of a bonus.  In governmental agencies, those in “management” know there is an endless flow of taxpayer money to pay bonuses to themselves and those who go along with their unbridled greed and graft.  There is no incentive to pay bonuses that are based on merit and productivity.  It’s a damn free-for-all using taxpayer money.  Obviously, based on these sickening figures coming out of VA hospitals all over the country, it’s been a gravy train for VA personnel.

And they are pissed they got caught.