Richardson was reassigned to a Cincinnati regional headquarters job in March following revelations that a dentist in the Dayton VA dental clinic reportedly failed to change gloves and sterilize dental equipment between patients. That alleged poor infection control potentially put the health of hundreds — if not thousands — of veterans at risk between 1992 and 2010.
The dentist retired in February at age 81. The VA’s Office of Public Health and Environmental Hazards continues to conduct testing to learn if three veterans who tested newly positive for hepatitis contracted the disease at the dental clinic. That testing could prove inconclusive.
An internal VA investigation exonerated Richardson, concluding that, unlike some dental clinic supervisors, he had no knowledge of the dentist’s alleged conduct. But Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki said during a federal budget hearing early this year that there had been a “failure in leadership” at the Dayton VA. In response to a senator’s question, Shinseki said he was not going to try to describe why Richardson’s $11,874 bonus at the end of federal fiscal 2010 was sensible.
U.S. Rep. Mike Turner, R-Centerville has criticized the VA for “promoting” Richardson, first through his reassignment to Cincinnati, and then for failing to make Richardson available to meet with the congressman.
The VA has adamantly denied that Richardson was promoted when he was reassigned to Cincinnati.
“I am extremely disappointed to hear that the VA has given Guy Richardson a second promotion after what occurred at the Dayton facility under his leadership,” Turner said in a prepared statement Wednesday. “ ... It seems that the VA believes evading lingering questions — and promoting staff who may have been responsible for failing to supervise their facilities — is a responsible answer to a community still outraged that this has even occurred.”
The VA did not immediately respond to a question Wednesday about whether Richardson’s new job was a promotion, though his new salary suggests it’s a lateral move. It also wasn’t clear what Richardson’s new job duties would be.
Richardson, who became director of the Dayton VA in 2005, is a native of Baltimore.
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-7457 or bsutherly@DaytonDaily News.com.
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