In the wake of the scandal that has plagued the VA hospital system this year, some members of Congress are considering actions to limit retirement benefits given to VA employees who retire after committing misconduct.
These actions are being considered because several VA officials, in the midst of being disciplined, have opted to retire.
Some of the proposals, as outlined by FedWeek:
One proposal being circulated would eliminate from any retirement benefit calculation the time an employee was involved in misconduct that leads to a removal. Members of Congress also have raised the idea of revoking any government contributions toward retirement benefits for that period, presumably meaning agency contributions toward the TSP for FERS employees. A separate plan raised earlier but which hasn’t advanced would allow veterans to sue employees in their personal capacity, without the government stepping in as defendant, on charges of falsifying or destroying patient records; employees found guilty would become ineligible for their federal retirement benefits.
The White House, the FBI and VA’s own internal affairs staff have all investigated the VA system in recent months over long wait times and wrongful deaths.
Photo Credit: O Palsson via Flickr Creative Commons License
