European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - May 4, 2007, Darmstadt, Hesse                                May 2007 stars and stripes Mideast edition Page 7 critics cry foul at veterans affairs bonuses by Hope yen the associated press Washington months after a politically embarrassing billion shortfall that put Veter ans health care in veterans affairs officials involved in the foul up got hefty bonuses ranging up to the list of bonuses to senior Ca reer officials at the veterans affairs department in obtained by the associated documents a generous package of More than million in pay ments by a financially strapped Agency straining to help care for thousands of injured veterans re turning Home from Iraq and of among those receiving pay ments were a Deputy assistant Secretary and several regional directors who crafted the Vas flawed budget for 2005 based on mislead ing they received performance payments up to a figure equal to about 20 percent of their annual also receiving a top Bonus was the Deputy undersecretary for who helps manage a Dis ability claims system that has a backlog of cases and delays aver aging 177 Days in getting benefits to injured the bonuses were awarded even after government investigators had determined the a repeatedly miscalculated if not deliberately misled taxpayers with questionable methods used to justify Bush administration cuts to health care amid a burgeoning Iraq annual bonuses to senior a officials now average More than the most lucrative in the a said the pay ments Are necessary to retain hardworking career several watchdog groups questioned the they cited Short staffing and underfunding at a clinics that have become particularly evident after recent disclosures of shoddy outpatient treatment of injured troops at Walter Reed army medical Cen Ter in hundreds of thousands of our veterans remain homeless every Day and hundreds of thousands More veterans wait six months or More for a disability claim Deci said Paul executive director of veterans for com Mon the lavish amounts of a Bonus Cash would be better spent on a robust plan to Cut a red Daniel chairman of the Senate veterans affairs com said the payments pointed to an improper entitlement for the most centrally placed or Well connected seeking an explanation from Secretary Jim Akaka also asked the department to out line Steps to address disparities in which Washington based senior officials got higher payments than their counterparts else awards should be determined according to said i am concerned by this generous Pat on the Back for those who failed to ensure that their budget requests accurately reflected Vas a a Matt said the department was review ing Vakakas Burns con tended that Many of the senior officials had been with the depart ment for with an expertise that could not be replicated immediately if they were to leave for the More profitable private rewarding knowledgeable and professional career Public servants is entirely he in the a officials receiving top bonuses included Rita the Deputy assistant Secretary for and William a former a network director who is now Deputy undersecretary for health for operations and also receiving was Ronald the Deputy in Rich rewards bonuses for veterans affairs executives have outpaced All agencies of government since veterans affairs agencies average bonuses for government executives compared with a executives it 2002 2003 2004 2005 source department of Homeland Security a de Secretary for who helps oversee the strained and backlogged claims system that Nicholson now says is a accept Gates seeking to fulfil reforms at Walter Reed by Julian Barnes los Angeles times Secretary Robert Gates said wednes Day that he has asked the depart ments top military and civilian leaders to begin meeting weekly to carry out recommendations of review groups that have exam ined failures at Walter Reed army medical Gates said his Gordon will Lead a strategy and oversight group consisting of the joint chiefs of staff and health officials to see that reforms pro posed by the pentagons Independent review a commis Sion appointed by president Bush and other task forces Are put into Gates vowed that the defense department would ensure that injured service members have the Best care that is what we will give Gates apart from the War this department and i have no higher on april the Independent review headed by two former army Togo West and John Marsh re leased a lengthy list of reforms needed to improve care at Walter the review group called for a new Center to study and treat brain an overhaul of the disabilities claims and the assignment of a primary physician to every wounded the report said Walter Reed was poorly equipped to handle the Large influx of wounded soldiers from Iraq and Afghanistan and that the defense department exacerbated the problems by trying to hold Down costs at the in a series of stories in the Washington Post highlighted flaws in the outpatient care of soldiers at Walter including delays and neglect of wounded soldiers who were housed in shoddy when the army moved slowly in Gates fired army Secretary Francis Kevin the army sur Geon general and a former com Mander of Walter was sub sequently forced to at a news conference wednes Day to discuss the Pentagon response to the review group re West said that the stress of trying to treat the Large number of wounded soldiers from the wars Laid Plain the problems at Walter that kind of a push will Al ways show the weaknesses in the system much More West Robert Gates the report said that the prob lems occurred at Walter Reed be cause of lapses in leadership and because the facility was neglected after it was slated for closure under the pentagons Basello sure some in Congress have called for the Pentagon to reverse its 2005 decision to close Walter but Gates said wednesday that Walter Reed was old and said he favored investments in new hospitals at Bethesda naval medical Center in Maryland and fort Belvoir in Gates said the Pentagon should Speed work on the new hospitals while maintaining staffing Levels at Walter Reed until once Walter Reed was selected for it became difficult to retain nurses and the Hospital is scheduled to close in some balk As lawmaker likens War to baseball by Adam Sichko Louis pos dispatch Washington John Shimkus likened the Iraq War to a baseball game but his analogy Drew few fans and a chorus of imagine my beloved Louis cardinals Are playing the much despised Chicago began in a speech on the House in his Brief but impassioned or Shimkus argued that the democratic Bill calling for the withdrawal of american forces from Iraq was like the cardinals abandoning the Ballpark during a extra inning who wins we know its the team that stays on the he his remarks brought rebukes from furious internet bloggers and a demand from the democratic congressional Campaign com Mittee and others to a Democrat cleaning veterans group vowed to remind Southern Illinois voters of his comments in the next when my favorite team loses i dont see anyone in the stands or on the team blown up by a car said one Shimkus speech came before the House voted on whether to override president Bush veto of the billion Iraq War spend ing the 222203 tally fell far Short of the two thirds majority needed to overcome the Shimkus could not be reached for comment after the his Steve Tomaszek defended the Congress mans calling it just a simple analogy of a baseball Jon Confounder of vote Doest see it that his organization spent More than campaigning against former Missouri Jim Talent in the 2006 according to Federal elections if youve really become that out of touch then perhaps its time you leave office and allow someone to take your seat who is willing to be a True Soltz wrote in a blog Post on the left leaning Huffington Post and if you will be there to make sure your constituents know what you seem to think of Tomaszewski countered that critics Are disingenuous be cause they dont 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