diff --git a/examples/c/darray_no_async.c b/examples/c/darray_no_async.c
index 7bdb134fafa..126adcd5ba0 100644
--- a/examples/c/darray_no_async.c
+++ b/examples/c/darray_no_async.c
@@ -247,9 +247,9 @@ int main(int argc, char* argv[])
     if ((ret = PIOc_set_log_level(LOG_LEVEL)))
         return ret;
 
-    /* Change error handling so we can test inval parameters. */
-    if ((ret = PIOc_set_iosystem_error_handling(PIO_DEFAULT, PIO_RETURN_ERROR, NULL)))
-        return ret;
+    /* /\* Change error handling so we can test inval parameters. *\/ */
+    /* if ((ret = PIOc_set_iosystem_error_handling(PIO_DEFAULT, PIO_RETURN_ERROR, NULL))) */
+    /*     return ret; */
 
     /* Initialize the PIO IO system. This specifies how many and
      * which processors are involved in I/O. */
diff --git a/examples/c/examplePio.c b/examples/c/examplePio.c
index a21fa27a0b7..61234f47c22 100644
--- a/examples/c/examplePio.c
+++ b/examples/c/examplePio.c
@@ -584,7 +584,6 @@ int main(int argc, char* argv[])
     
 #ifdef TIMING    
     /* Initialize the GPTL timing library. */
-    int ret;
     if ((ret = GPTLinitialize ()))
       return ret;
 #endif    
diff --git a/src/clib/pio_darray.c b/src/clib/pio_darray.c
index 7ff5a9ca33d..116f0103770 100644
--- a/src/clib/pio_darray.c
+++ b/src/clib/pio_darray.c
@@ -411,11 +411,17 @@ pio_inq_var_fill_expected(int ncid, int varid, int pio_type, PIO_Offset type_siz
          ncid, varid, pio_type, type_size));
 
     /* Is there a _FillValue attribute? */
-    ret = PIOc_get_att(ncid, varid, "_FillValue", fillvalue);
+    ret = PIOc_inq_att_eh(ncid, varid, "_FillValue", 0, NULL, NULL);
+    
     LOG((3, "pio_inq_var_fill_expected ret %d", ret));
 
-    /* If no _FillValue at was found we still have work to do. */
-    if (ret)
+    /* If there is a fill value, get it. */
+    if (!ret)
+    {
+        if ((ret = PIOc_get_att(ncid, varid, "_FillValue", fillvalue)))
+            return ret;
+    }
+    else /* If no _FillValue at was found we still have work to do. */
     {
         /* Did we get some other error? */
         if (ret != PIO_ENOTATT)
diff --git a/src/clib/pio_nc.c b/src/clib/pio_nc.c
index f15da7856b4..17ca0bf3d8a 100644
--- a/src/clib/pio_nc.c
+++ b/src/clib/pio_nc.c
@@ -1085,14 +1085,17 @@ int PIOc_inq_varid(int ncid, const char *name, int *varidp)
  *
  * @param ncid the ncid of the open file, obtained from
  * PIOc_openfile() or PIOc_createfile().
- * @param varid the variable ID.
+ * @param varid the variable ID or NC_GLOBAL.
+ * @param name name of the attribute.
+ * @param eh non-zero to handle errors in the function. This will
+ * cause program to halt if PIO error handler is set to INTERNAL.
  * @param xtypep a pointer that will get the type of the attribute.
  * @param lenp a pointer that will get the number of values
  * @return PIO_NOERR for success, error code otherwise.
  * @author Jim Edwards, Ed Hartnett
  */
-int PIOc_inq_att(int ncid, int varid, const char *name, nc_type *xtypep,
-                 PIO_Offset *lenp)
+int PIOc_inq_att_eh(int ncid, int varid, const char *name, int eh,
+                    nc_type *xtypep, PIO_Offset *lenp)
 {
     int msg = PIO_MSG_INQ_ATT;
     iosystem_desc_t *ios;
@@ -1160,18 +1163,46 @@ int PIOc_inq_att(int ncid, int varid, const char *name, nc_type *xtypep,
     /* Broadcast and check the return code. */
     if ((mpierr = MPI_Bcast(&ierr, 1, MPI_INT, ios->ioroot, ios->my_comm)))
         return check_mpi(file, mpierr, __FILE__, __LINE__);
-    if (ierr)
+    if (eh && ierr)
         return check_netcdf(file, ierr, __FILE__, __LINE__);
 
-    /* Broadcast results. */
-    if (xtypep)
-        if ((mpierr = MPI_Bcast(xtypep, 1, MPI_INT, ios->ioroot, ios->my_comm)))
-            check_mpi(file, mpierr, __FILE__, __LINE__);
-    if (lenp)
-        if ((mpierr = MPI_Bcast(lenp, 1, MPI_OFFSET, ios->ioroot, ios->my_comm)))
-            check_mpi(file, mpierr, __FILE__, __LINE__);
+    /* Broadcast results if call succeeded. */
+    if (!ierr)
+    {
+        if (xtypep)
+            if ((mpierr = MPI_Bcast(xtypep, 1, MPI_INT, ios->ioroot, ios->my_comm)))
+                check_mpi(file, mpierr, __FILE__, __LINE__);
+        if (lenp)
+            if ((mpierr = MPI_Bcast(lenp, 1, MPI_OFFSET, ios->ioroot, ios->my_comm)))
+                check_mpi(file, mpierr, __FILE__, __LINE__);
+    }
 
-    return PIO_NOERR;
+    return ierr;
+}
+
+/**
+ * @ingroup PIO_inq_att
+ * The PIO-C interface for the NetCDF function nc_inq_att.
+ *
+ * This routine is called collectively by all tasks in the communicator
+ * ios.union_comm. For more information on the underlying NetCDF commmand
+ * please read about this function in the NetCDF documentation at:
+ * http://www.unidata.ucar.edu/software/netcdf/docs/group__attributes.html
+ *
+ * @param ncid the ncid of the open file, obtained from
+ * PIOc_openfile() or PIOc_createfile().
+ * @param varid the variable ID.
+ * @param varid the variable ID or NC_GLOBAL.
+ * @param name name of the attribute.
+ * @param xtypep a pointer that will get the type of the attribute.
+ * @param lenp a pointer that will get the number of values
+ * @return PIO_NOERR for success, error code otherwise.
+ * @author Jim Edwards, Ed Hartnett
+ */
+int PIOc_inq_att(int ncid, int varid, const char *name, nc_type *xtypep,
+                 PIO_Offset *lenp)
+{
+    return PIOc_inq_att_eh(ncid, varid, name, 1, xtypep, lenp);
 }
 
 /**