Executives in charge during deadly bacteria
outbreaks
received bonuses
William Nicklas entered the Pittsburgh Veterans Affairs hospital due to nausea on Nov. 1. He was a former Navy sailor, and he thought that he would receive the best possible care at the VA hospital. William died less than a month later from a Legionnaires’ infection contracted at the hospital—an outbreak that had already claimed four lives.
Two regional VA executives received hefty bonuses in the middle of the outbreak. Earlier this year, one of those executives received the Presidential Distinguished Rank Award for his work, which came with a 35 percent bonus.
The Nicklas family told this story at a House Veterans Affairs hearing Monday morning in Pittsburgh. The committee convened the field hearing to examine management and safety failures in multiple VA facilities, including the Pittsburgh hospital and parallel executive bonuses for those overseeing the failures.
“A rash of preventable veteran deaths, suicides, and infectious disease outbreaks at several [Veterans Health Administration] facilities throughout the country has put the organization under intense scrutiny,” said Rep. Jeff Miller (R., Fla.), chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, in prepared remarks obtained by the Washington Free Beacon.
“Despite the fact that multiple VA Inspector General reports have linked a number of these incidents to widespread mismanagement at VHA facilities, the department has consistently given executives who presided over these events glowing performance reviews and cash bonuses of up to sixty-three thousand dollars,” Miller continued.
The Nicklas family testified that maintenance, communication, and management failures led to William contracting Legionnaires’ infection. VA administrators were aware of previous infections, but they did not take the steps to correct the problems, the family said.
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