The Phoenix VA hospital dished out $10 million in bonuses, even as staff members fudged patient wait-time records to qualify for extra cash and veterans died while waiting for care, according to newly revealed records.
During the past three years, 4,188 bonuses were doled out to more than 2,150 staff members at every level, from doctors and nurses to secretaries and cleaners, the Arizona Republic reported.
The payouts increased exponentially during Sharon Helman’s tenure as director, which began in February 2012. In 2011, bonuses totaled $2.5 million — then surged to $3.5 million in 2012 and $3.9 million in 2013.
Helman insisted she knew nothing about the doctored record books or veteran deaths when she was put on leave.
All told, the bonuses account for roughly 1 percent of the Phoenix facility’s budget for salaries.
Helman and two other high-ranking staff members were placed on administrative leave last month, following allegations that VA employees had kept a secret wait list to hide health care delays and reach bonus-determining performance goals — all while at least 40 veterans died before they could get medical attention.
According to the bonus records, which were obtained by the newspaper through a Freedom of Information Act request, Helman received a $9,345 bonus in 2013 to pad her $169,879 salary.
Federal VA officials rescinded another $8,495 bonus awarded in April amid the scandal.