C.W. Bill Young VA deficit close to $50 million

Officials acknowledge $50 million deficit at Young VA, but insist it is not a concern
Tampa Bay.com
William R. Levesque
Times Staff Writer
Wednesday, December 31, 2014

The C.W. Bill Young VA Medical Center and its satellite clinics

employ nearly 4,000 people who serve more than 100,000.

CHERIE DIEZ | Times

Supervisors at the C.W. Bill Young VA Medical Center were told recently to keep quiet about performance bonuses owed to employees retiring after Sept. 30, and to not pay them unless retirees specifically asked for their money.

And doctors were told a few days earlier that a routine review of salaries to ensure their pay is competitive with the private sector was being suspended because the hospital had a major budget shortfall.

Internal documents obtained by the Tampa Bay Times indicate the Department of Veterans Affairs hospital, the nation's fourth busiest with an annual budget of $660 million, was running a deficit close to $50 million and some costs were being trimmed to close the gap.

But regional VA officials deny any cuts at the Young VA, located near Seminole, and said the hospital was having no financial difficulties. Internal emails noting cuts were based on misunderstandings by supervisors, VA officials said, and were sent out in error. Officials said they have since been rescinded.

Joleen Clark, the VA regional director overseeing hospitals in Florida, did not deny in an interview Wednesday that the Young VA was projecting a deficit close to $50 million in the fiscal year that began Oct. 1.
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