HHS to withhold some bonus pay earned by laid-off employees

Some HHS agencies could vanish

Some HHS agencies could vanish wholly nether Trump, adept warns 02:43

The Department of Health and Human Services has decided to efficaciously artifact the payout of overdue bonuses to galore of its laid-off employees, aggregate wellness officials say. The bonuses were tied to precocious show by the workers past year, earlier they were chopped from the department.

"If the savings from the layoffs were pennies from the HHS budget, this is hundredths of a penny," 1 existent national wellness bureau worker said of the move.

While bonus payments usually spell retired successful April to high-performing national employees, the section had stalled them from being deposited. Now payouts are scheduled to spell retired aft June 2, nether the caller decision.

This timing prevents the wealth from being paid retired to people who were laid disconnected oregon took buyouts oregon aboriginal retirement. Most of the workers laid disconnected astatine the section are inactive connected paid permission nether national policies, up of an authoritative "separation" day scheduled for June 2.

"We apologize to those of you who were expecting bonuses and genuinely privation we could person delivered them," quality resources officials wrote to the unit of 1 HHS agency, successful an email obtained by CBS News.

An entreaty sought by immoderate bureau officials was "unsuccessful successful having it overturned," according to the email.

"That's f****d up. They worked hard each past twelvemonth for those awards," a national wellness bureau worker said successful a message.

The determination applies to each agencies and divisions that trust connected the department's cardinal quality resources office, the Staffing and Recruitment Operations Center, nether Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

This includes laid-off employees of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, arsenic good arsenic a fig of standalone offices wrong the department.

A fistful of larger agencies wherever quality resources offices are not straight controlled by the department, similar astatine the National Institutes of Health, were capable to wage retired the bonuses.

In:
• United States Department of Health and Human Services
• Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
• RFK Jr.