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

Sen. Tommy Tuberville rips Biden over use of veteran medical care resources on illegal immigrants

Article Title: Sen. Tommy Tuberville rips Biden over use of veteran medical care resources on illegal immigrants

Article Excerpt: "...Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., touted his recently introduced No VA Resources for Illegal Aliens Act that would ban VA resources from being used to process illegal immigrant medical care claims. ..."

Reference Source: www.foxnews.com

Why the Tomah Veterans Affairs Medical Center is again at center of calls for an investigation

Article Title: Why the Tomah Veterans Affairs Medical Center is again at center of calls for an investigation

Article Excerpt: "...A more than year-long investigation by Minneapolis-based TV station KARE 11 found that veterans with traumatic brain injuries or other neurological conditions were misdiagnosed by the same Tomah VA physician and as a result were denied disability benefits and, in some cases, medical care. KARE 11 and the veterans with whom the station spoke identified the physician as Dr. Mary Jo Lanska. Some of the veterans KARE 11 spoke with said they were misdiagnosed following brief screenings that did not sufficiently assess brain injuries. ..."

Reference Source: yahoo.com

Georgia | Victims Asked to Come Forward After VA Doctor Charged with Sexually Assaulting Military Veteran Patients

Article Title: Victims Asked to Come Forward After VA Doctor Charged with Sexually Assaulting Patients

Article Excerpt: "...A Department of Veterans Affairs doctor in Georgia has been indicted over allegations that he sexually assaulted at least four female patients, prosecutors announced this week. Rajesh Motibhai Patel, a primary care physician at the Atlanta VA Medical Center in Decatur, was charged with multiple counts of violating his patients' constitutional right to bodily integrity while acting under color of law and for engaging in unwanted sexual contact, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Georgia said in a news release Thursday. "Our veterans have made incredible sacrifices for our country and deserve the best medical treatment and highest quality of care..."

Reference Source: www.military.com

V.A. Still Failing Our Veterans: VA Failed to Report 90 Percent of Poor-Performing Doctors

Article Title: Watchdog: VA Failed to Report 90 Percent of Poor-Performing Doctors

Snippet of Article: "...The government watchdog found VA officials were slow to investigate when concerns were raised about the performance of certain doctors. Further, in eight out of nine cases, the VA failed to report doctors who didn't meet health care standards ..."

Article Source: www.military.com

Senate Sends VA Health Care Funding Reform Bill to White House

Article Title: Senate Sends VA Health Care Funding Reform Bill to White House

Snippet of Article: "... The U.S. Senate gave final approval Tuesday to legislation that will finally reform the budget and appropriations process for the Department of Veterans Affairs’ medical care programs, ensuring veterans receive the health care they have earned in a timely manner..."

Article Source: www.dav.org
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