Execs' Group Weighs in on VA Bonuses

The Senior Executives Association has issued its position on the brewing criticism over bonuses for top executives at the Veterans Affairs Department, calling it "unfair and misdirected." Concerns about the bonuses coming at a time of funding shortfalls at the department should be directed at policymakers in the Bush administration, not the career executives who implement their policies and manage what has been recognized as one of the best health care systems in the world, the organization says. Furthermore, SEA President Carol Bonosaro notes:

The pay system which applies to these career executivesâ€" unlike the rest of the civil service â€" provides for no annual cost of living increases and for no locality pay adjustments. Rather, all pay adjustments are based on performance, and the bonus system is an integral part of that pay system. In addition to bonuses, the pay system provides for Presidential Rank awards, such as the $33,000 award cited in one article. Nominations for these awards are made by the executives’ departments and agencies, reviewed by the Office of Personnel Management, and approved by the White House.