Exec. Over Pittsburgh VA Hospitals Retiring Nov. 1

PITTSBURGH (AP) - The director of the Veterans Affairs Healthcare region that includes Pittsburgh says he's retiring "with mixed emotions" - but made no specific mention of a deadly Legionnaires' outbreak that occurred on his watch.

Michael Moreland announced his retirement on Friday. It takes effect Nov. 1.

The announcement comes three days after Moreland defended a $63,000 bonus he received.

Moreland said the timing of the April's Presidential Distinguished Rank Award was unfortunate, coming three days after a VA inspector general's office review found a variety of failures that led to the deaths of veterans in Pittsburgh VA hospitals in 2011 and 2012.

Moreland, who is 57, said then he had no immediate plans to step down from overseeing the 10-hospital region that employs 13,000 people in Pennsylvania and five other states.

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