I 

110TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2292 

To prohibit the payment of bonuses to certain officers of the Department 

of Veterans Affairs unless fewer than 100,000 disability compensation 

claims are pending before the Department. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MAY 14, 2007 

Mr. HALL of New York (for himself, Mr. SPACE, Mr. DONNELLY, Mr. WALZ

of Minnesota, Ms. HOOLEY, Ms. BEAN, Mr. MCNERNEY, Mr. HARE, Mr. 

COURTNEY, Mr. MAHONEY of Florida, Mr. ALTMIRE, and Mr. KAGEN) 

introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 

Veterans’ Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on Oversight and 

Government Reform, for a period to be subsequently determined by the 

Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within 

the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To prohibit the payment of bonuses to certain officers of 

the Department of Veterans Affairs unless fewer than 

100,000 disability compensation claims are pending before the Department. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Pay Veterans First 

5 Act’’. 


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•HR 2292 IH

1 SEC. 2. LIMITATION ON PAYMENT OF SALARIES AND PER2 FORMANCE BONUSES TO CERTAIN OFFICERS 

3 OF DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS. 

4 (a) LIMITATION ON PAYMENT OF BONUSES.—For 

5 fiscal year 2007, no bonus described in subsection (b) may 

6 be paid to any officer of the Department of Veterans Af7 fairs who is appointed by the President, by and with the 

8 consent of the Senate, or who is a senior politically ap9 pointed officer unless, at the time such payment is made, 

10 fewer than 100,000 claims for disability compensation 

11 under chapter 11 of title 38, United States Code, are 

12 pending before the Department. 

13 (b) BONUSES DESCRIBED.—A bonus described in 

14 this subsection is any of the following: 

15 (1) A performance award under section 5384 of 

16 title 5, United States Code. 

17 (2) A performance-based cash award under sec18 tion 4505a of such title. 

19 (c) DEFINITION OF SENIOR POLITICALLY AP20 POINTED OFFICER.—For purposes of this section, the 

21 term ‘‘senior politically appointed officer’’ means any offi22 cer who serves— 

23 (1) as an Assistant Secretary; 

24 (2) as a Deputy Under Secretary; 


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•HR 2292 IH

1 (3) in a Senior Executive Service position and 

2 is not a career appointee as defined under section 

3 3132(a)(4) of title 5, United States Code; or 

4 (4) in a position of a confidential or policy-de5 termining character under schedule C of subpart C 

6 of part 213 of title 5 of the Code of Federal Regula7 tions. 

8 (d) COMPTROLLER GENERAL REPORTS.—For any 

9 fiscal quarter of fiscal year 2007 during which the per10 centage of claims for disability compensation processed by 

11 the Department of Veterans Affairs that are disallowed 

12 exceeds the percentage that is 10 percent higher than the 

13 percentage of such claims that were disallowed during fis14 cal year 2006, the Comptroller General shall conduct an 

15 audit of the Department’s processing of such claims to de16 termine the reason for the increase in the percentage of 

17 disallowed claims and, not later than 30 days after the 

18 last day of that fiscal quarter, shall submit to Congress 

19 the results of such audit. 

Æ 


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