Wichita Standard

U.S. Senator Jerry Moran, ranking member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, has expressed concern over findings from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Office of Inspector General (OIG). The OIG discovered that the VA improperly awarded $10.8 million in PACT Act Critical Skills Incentive (CSI) payments to senior executives in the VA Central Office.

Senator Moran stated, “This report highlights serious concerns within leadership decision making at the Veterans Health Administration and the Veterans Benefits Administration and demands significant attention from Secretary McDonough and Congress."

He pointed out that the CSI payments included in the PACT Act were intended to improve recruitment for difficult-to-fill positions across VA, not to increase salaries of senior executives. The failings detailed in this report by the Under Secretaries for Health and Benefits raise serious questions about checks and balances within top levels of the Department.

The Senator also commented on their ability to manage agencies upon which veterans across the country depend for their health care and benefits. He noted that poor decisions reflected many systemic issues seen across VHA and VBA.

“Secretary McDonough was correct to quickly recognize this issue and ask the VA Inspector General to complete a full investigation," said Senator Moran. "I look forward to learning what Secretary McDonough is doing to hold those involved accountable to prevent this from happening again.”

The Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act of 2022 authorized VA to provide CSI payments to help retain employees with high-demand skills.

The full report by VA OIG can be found here.