WASHINGTON, DC – Today, House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Chairman Mike Bost (R-Ill.), released the following statement after the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) released a report – with criminal referrals – that in 2023, VA improperly awarded $10.8 million dollars in bonuses – incentives that were meant for high-demand healthcare and benefits support staff who are vital to VA’s operations following implementation of the PACT Act – instead to VA Central Office senior executives. “During oversight visits across the country, we have consistently heard from VA police officers, medical supply technicians, housekeepers, and other VA staff about the need for VA to better retain quality employees. Instead of using all of the critical skill incentives to do this, VA inappropriately used the money to line the pockets of VA executives to the detriment of VA’s workforce and the veterans they serve,” said Chairman Bost. “It appears like this was a calculated effort by senior VA leadership inc...