VISN 4 to Get Another Interim Director

By Walter F. Roche Jr.

Another interim director is about to take over command of the Veterans Administration region covering not only Pittsburgh and Pennsylvania but also parts of two other states.
David Cowgill, a VA spokesman confirmed today that William H. Mills, currently the director of VA operations in Altoona, will take over as VISN 4 director on Aug. 11.

A VA spokesman in Washington said an order to assign Mills to the directors post for a period not to exceed 120 days was "pending approval."
Mills, who was promoted multiple times by former VISN 4 Director Michael Moreland, will replace Carla Siveck who has been serving as an interim director since Dec. 14, 2014.
Moreland resigned under fire on Oct. 4, 2013 in the midst of an outbreak of Legionnaires Disease that took six lives in area VA facilities.
Like Siveck and Moreland, Mills does not have a medical degree. He has a masters in education.
Moreland, who was labeled the poster child for the lack of accountability among VA managers by U.S. Rep. Jeff Miller, a Florida Republican, was replaced by Terry Gerigk Wolf, who was later fired for her role in the Legionnaire outbreak.
Before his appointment to the Altoona post, Mills was the assistant VA director in Lebanon. He has served other jobs within VISN 4 including Memphis and Pittsburgh, also at VA facilities in West Virginia, Kentucky, North Carolina  and Connecticut.
Mills' current salary is $154,390. Sivek's salary in 2014 was $136,611 plus she was paid a $3,000 bonus, federal payroll records show.
Moreland, those same records show, was earning $170,000 a year when he stepped down. He also collected two bonuses totaling nearly $100,000. Those extra payments prompted outrage from members of congress who called for the VA to take back the bonuses.
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