Pittsburgh VA Inflates Claim Performance, Receive $300 Bonuses

Altmire presses for in-depth probe into VA benefits
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Dissatisfied with a recent probe into the handling of benefit claims at the Pittsburgh Veterans Affairs office, U.S. Rep. Jason Altmire yesterday called for "a second, more in-depth investigation."

A report released in May by the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General found that the Pittsburgh VA office's performance numbers were artificially inflated due to a delay in the processing of veterans' claims. The result, Mr. Altmire said, was that employees received $300 bonuses.

"I want the VA OIG to dig deeper so we can find out exactly what went wrong and what we need to do to ensure mistakes like this do not happen in the future," said Mr. Altmire, D-McCandless. "We owe it to our veterans to ensure that they receive the benefits they have earned as quickly as possible."

The Office of Inspector General's first report simply stated that a "misunderstanding" between management and staff led to a delay in the processing of veterans' claims.