VA employees improperly accessed medical files of Vance and Walz

Article Title: VA employees improperly accessed medical files of Vance and Walz

Article Excerpt: "...Employees at the Department of Veterans Affairs improperly accessed the medical files of Sen. JD Vance and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the two major party vice presidential nominees, and an investigation is under way.

Two sources familiar with the situation confirmed that VA employees improperly accessed Vance’s medical records...at least a dozen employees accessed the records."

Reference Source: www.aol.com

Huge HIPAA Privacy Violation | VA employees improperly viewed health records of Veterans

Article Title: VA employees improperly viewed health records of both VP candidates

Article Excerpt: "...In a statement, VA press secretary Terrence Hayes said the matter was referred to Justice Department investigators as soon as VA leaders were made aware of the issue. “We take the privacy of the veterans we serve very seriously and have strict policies in place to protect their records,” he said. “Any attempt to improperly access veteran records by VA personnel is unacceptable and will not be tolerated.”...“Viewing a veteran’s records out of curiosity or concern — or for any purpose that is not directly related to officially authorized and assigned duties — is strictly prohibited,” he wrote. “Failure to comply with these requirements may result in disciplinary action, including removal, as well as referral to law enforcement for civil penalties and criminal prosecution.” ..."

Reference Source: www.navytimes.com