A little-known management perquisite called the "wellness bonus" is being scrutinized by Ventura County amid efforts to maintain a budget free of red ink.

For five years, 881 county managers have been eligible for the bonus--up to $300 annually--as a reward for taking a physical examination.

The County Board of Supervisors wants to know if the bonus--which may be costing the county $75,000 or more a year--is a frill during times when money is tight.

At first, county personnel chief Ronald W. Komers said he thought that the bonus could be eliminated. But Komers said he will recommend leaving the bonus intact because it contributes to healthy, effective government management.

In an interview last week, Komers said he has concluded that the bonus program is cost-effective because it saves lives by catching potentially serious medical problems in their infancy.

Not everybody agrees, including some of those who are eligible for the bonus. C. Toy White, the county's assistant district attorney, is one.

"I think it's appropriate for managers to take physicals and keep healthy," she said. "But I'd like to think I'm adult enough to do it without the bonus."

The perk allows managers, including about 300 attorneys in the district attorney's and public defender's offices, to either get a free physical performed by a doctor on the county payroll or to see their own physician and be reimbursed for part or all of the expense.

The reimbursement is $175 for managers under the age of 40, $225 for those between the ages of 40 and 44 and $300 for those 45 or older.

Atop that subsidy is the wellness bonus.

Managers under 40 years old are eligible for a $175 bonus every 36 months. Those between the ages of 40 and 44 can receive a $225 bonus twice for two exams, and those 45 and older can pocket a $300 bonus every year for taking a physical.

Komers said he believes that about 250 county managers take the bonus.

Los Angeles County, where last year the chief fiscal officer and supervisors rang up a $117,000 tab for items such as gourmet meals and flowers, does not offer the perk. "But it's the only one we've missed," said Pam Everett, a Los Angeles County public affairs officer, when informed of it.

The bonus is a sensitive subject for the managers whose annual pay ranges from $26,844 to the top salary of $123,630 for the chief administrative officer.