ms. bowers gave of ms. helmand was not a true indication of her performance from would've been your recommendation that the review given of ms. bowers should also be reevaluated and any bonus she has received rescinded? >> ms. bauer is retired. >> there's no way to go back after they retire? this is another one of the disciplinary actions that va takes that allows people to steal their benefits and not have anything taken back. >> thank you it was her right to retire. >> okay. any other questions? >> thank you, mr. chairman. ask unanimous consent that ms. kirkpatrick's statements be entered into the record as well as association letter that we received on april 19, or june 19. >> without objection. >> thank you spent thank you, everyone for being with sure today. thank you, ms. farrisee, for being here today. this hearing is adjourned. >> thank you. [inaudible conversations] >> and f. on transparency and freedom of information, and i think my colleagues in journalism would get a similar grade whether they a

ms. bowers gave of miss hellman was not a true indication of ms. hellman's performance, would it have been your recommendation that the review given of miss bowers also should be reevalu e reevaluated and any bonus she receive rescinded. >> ms. bowers retired. >> there is no way to go back after they retire. this is another one of the disciplinary action va takes that allows people to seal their benefits and not have anything taken back. >> mr. chairman, it was her right to retire. >> yeah. okay. any other questions? >> thank you, mr. chairman. ask unanimous consent miss kirkpatrick's statement be entered into the record as well as association letter we received april 19th or june 19th. >> without objection. >> thank you. >> thank you, everybody, for being here today. thank you for being with us. this hearing is adjourned. >> thank you. >>> a discussion now on the global economic outlook. >>> over on the house floor, law makers continuing work on a $570 billion annual spending bill to fund the department of defense. just under $80 billion is current

ms. bower's qualifications. these stories do not match up, and i believe it further brings into question va's transparency as well as diligence when issuing thousands of dollars in bonus bonuses. although acting secretary gibson has rightly put a freeze on bonuses for the time being, it is still this committee's responsibility to understand the rationale for awarding five-figure bonuses for individuals who have clearly fallen short of the department's mission and their commitment to those who have served. a performance bonus award should not be received because you were able to check off a few boxes on a form. a performance award should not be an expectation. a bonus is not an entitlement. those at the department of veterans affairs are there to se serve the veterans and their families. anything less than the highest possible quality should not be rewarded. gaming the bonus system is not the business the va should be in. today we'll hear what the va has to say about their performance review system, why senior ma