Congressman Keith Self Introduces the VA Bonus and Relocation Recovery Act

Congressman Keith Self (TX-03) has introduced the VA Bonus and Relocation Recovery Act, which would clarify that existing recoupment authorities at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) extend to former employees, closing a loophole that allows improper payments to go unrecovered solely because an employee has left the agency.

The VA is authorized under current law to recover bonuses, awards, and relocation expenses that should not have been paid to VA employees due to misconduct or poor performance. However, existing statutory authorities apply only to current VA employees and do not clearly extend to individuals who have already separated from the Department. 

As a result, VA employees who receive bonuses, awards, or relocation payments, and then leave the agency, may be shielded from repayment even when misconduct or poor performance occurred prior to payment and would have disqualified them from receiving the funds. This gap in the law prevents VA from recovering taxpayer dollars that were improperly paid and undermines efforts to ensure responsible stewardship of federal funds. The VA Bonus and Relocation Recovery Act closes this loophole.

“Taxpayer dollars must never vanish into thin air just because a VA employee ducks out of government service before their improper payments are caught,” said Congressman Self. “This bill closes that outrageous loophole, empowering the VA to claw back bonuses, awards, and relocation expenses that should never have been paid in the first place—delivering real accountability, safeguarding veterans’ earned benefits, and fiercely protecting hardworking American taxpayers from waste and abuse.”

The VA Bonus and Relocation Recovery Act would:

• Clarify that VA’s authority to recoup bonuses and awards extends to former employees when misconduct or poor performance occurred prior to payment.
• Extend VA’s authority to recover relocation expenses from former employees under the same circumstances.
• Require a determination that the payment would not have been made, in whole or in part, had the misconduct or poor performance been known at the time.
• Establish a five-year statute of limitations from the date of separation for VA to exercise this authority.

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