Chicago-area veterans hospital director to retire

HINES, Ill. - The director of a troubled Chicago-area veterans hospital announced her retirement Tuesday, a move she and other hospital officials said was unrelated to the Veterans Affairs Department's firing a day earlier of four senior executives after a nationwide scandal over long wait times for care.

In a news release, Joan Ricard said she would retire Oct. 31 as director of the Edward Hines Jr. VA Hospital in order to spend more time with family.

"It has nothing to do with any of the recent events," Hines spokesman Charity Hardison said of Ricard's announcement. "This is something she made a personal decision on. She hasn't been pressured into leaving."

But Illinois' junior U.S. senator questioned the timing of Ricard's retirement, as Hines has faced recent allegations of misconduct at the facility.

"In my discussions with the (Deputy VA) Secretary Sloan Gibson, it appeared to me that that her position was no longer tenable," Mark Kirk, a Highland Park Republican said. "She probably realized before she'd get fired she should retire."

Kirk met in June with a VA social worker and union representative, as well as a current and former physician from Hines about allegations of misconduct at the facility in the Chicago suburbs, including whether $16.6 million in bonuses to employees may have led to secret wait lists and scheduling manipulation.

Ricard has denied those allegations.

The dismissals of the high-level executives followed the revelation of long wait times for veterans seeking medical care and falsified records covering up the delays. The firings, which the employees are allowed to appeal, were the first since Congress passed a law this summer making it easier for the agency to fire senior officials suspected of wrongdoing.

In the statement announcing her departure, Ricard called her role at the hospital the "the last stop on my career plan."

"I always wanted to finish my VA career at a large, tertiary facility, and I had this in mind when I began my tenure at Hines," she said.

She has been with the Department of Veterans Affairs for 37 years and was named director of the facility in 2012.

A union representing hospital workers also has accused the facility of having mold and leaking water. Hospital officials have said the mold was removed and efforts were made to stop the leaks.

Officials said Ricard's replacement hasn't yet been chosen.

Kirk said he "be looking for someone with the highest integrity possible" to run the facility.