VA Employees Improperly Accessed Vance, Walz Medical Records
“…spent extended time looking at the candidates’ medical files, according to law enforcement officials, raising investigators’ concerns about their motives.”
The Washington Post reported that dozens of Department of Veterans Affairs employees viewed the medical records of VP candidates Sen. JD Vance and Gov. Tim Walz without authorization.
“We take the privacy of the Veterans we serve very seriously and have strict policies in place to protect their records,” stated VA press secretary Terrence Hayes. “Any attempt to improperly access Veteran records by VA personnel is unacceptable and will not be tolerated.” He referred further questions to the Justice Department.
The VA health system has 40,000 employees and serves over nine million registered voters.
The department alerted both campaigns of the breach.
VA officials notified the Vance and Walz campaigns about the breaches after discovering the unauthorized viewing by employees at the agency’s massive health-care arm, the Veterans Health Administration, according to people familiar with the investigation who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe the ongoing investigation.
VA Inspector General Michael Missal’s office has shared evidence with federal prosecutors on the actions of several employees in the health system, including a physician and a contractor who spent extended time looking at the candidates’ medical files, according to law enforcement officials, raising investigators’ concerns about their motives.
Like the others, the physician and contractor used their VA computers to get into the records, mostly from their government offices.
The department launched an investigation.
The employees accessed the records in July and August.
It’s easy for employees to access records “to ensure quick access for doctors inside and outside VA in an emergency.”
Missal responded when alerted about the access:
Shortly after the misconduct by his employees was discovered, VA Secretary Denis McDonough sent a missive to the agency’s workforce of more than 450,000 employees to remind them of the rules surrounding veterans’ privacy.
“Veteran information should only be accessed when necessary to accomplish officially authorized and assigned duties as an employee, contractor, volunteer, or other personnel,” McDonough wrote in an Aug. 30 email. “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.”
McDonough noted that any violation of the rules could bring disciplinary action, including possible removal, as well a referral to law enforcement agencies for civil penalties and criminal prosecution.
Any employees who are not criminally charged after the incident could still face administrative sanctions, VA officials said.
The investigators want to determine the motive and if any of them shared the private information.
The employees’ intent and how long they looked in the files determine how prosecutors will proceed with a case.
A few employees cited curiosity since their “military service has faced scrutiny during the presidential campaign.”
Well, ACKSHUALLY, people have tried to scrutinize Vance’s military service only because Walz’s military service is filled with lies and deception.
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“how long they looked in the files”??
So, if they were smart and just took pictures of the files with their phones, so access time would be minimal (“not enough time to have read the files” is what the VA would have said) then everything would be A-okay??
Access is the key. Period. Either someone, who has permission, accesses these files for a specific reason or not.
As to Walz’s files … I don’t know what is in there of interest other than his irritable bowel syndrome, chronic crying, the odd yellow running up his back, his borderline-retardation, or his schizophrenia … but most of that is obvious to anyone who has seen or heard him for more than a few minutes, anyway.
No, I think that’s more because it’s not unheard of to pull the wrong record by accident. If they pulled it up, looked at it for less than a minute, then accessed a different record immediately after with a 1 digit difference in SS, for instance, then you could believe that they pulled it up by accident by mis-typing SS number, or looking for a different James Vance.
If they looked at it for 30 minutes and checked every page, then yeah, prosecute them.
People accidentally pulled up both VP candidates VA medical records. I have a really nice bridge in Brooklyn I’d like you to make me an offer on.
I covered that under “specific reason”. If they are claiming a “fat finger” then they can show the record they were legitimately accessing, that it was accessed appropriately right after, that it is understandable to mistype and just happen on the records illegitimately accessed. What did you read that alerted you that you were on the wrong page? Etc. No benefit of the doubt.
These records are of utmost sensitivity and privacy to people. Violations of these – most especially for public release – need to be mercilessly charged and prosecuted.
“Time looking at files” is not a smart criterion for assessing how much of a file someone read. As I said, one can just take a picture of the screen, which takes 2 seconds and leave it, leaving no more of a footprint than a “cursory glance”.
This is why I will never ever step foot in the VA for healthcare.
There are plenty of other reasons.
Given that those improperly accessing the files are Federal employees and it can be assumed that the purpose was to help the Left, it is a reasonable assumption that after a lot of tap dancing around no disciplinary action will be taken.
Subotai Bahadur
It’s the usual. Nothing to see here, folks. Move along.
NOTHING, I repeat, NOTHING will happen to these criminal cretins.
If there is no meaningful deterrent to bad behavior, then bad behavior will flourish. Duh!
I hear the miscreants are all claiming medical disability from paper cuts they suffered after printing the downloaded files.
Any VA jerk off unnecessarily accessing the records of any Veteran, particularly medical info, should be fired and have all professional licences /credentials revoked. These individuals should be bared from any future govt service and from employment with any entity receiving Federal funding. Not that they should have any reason to worry about employment for several years while they are in Federal prison. Put teeth into protection of folks personal info or this abuse will continue.
Hear, hear!
Yep. This seems to happen almost every campaign cycle, if not the VA then some other government agency (usually the IRS). The only reason it keeps happening is because the penalties aren’t nearly harsh enough and aren’t delivered frequently enough. The first time someone does a nickel in the federal penitentiary to then be released to their new job in refuge collection, that would be the last time it happens.
Be careful what you tell your doctor whether government or other. Never admit to experiencing anxiety or depression or any other psychological or emotional problem. If you doctor asks if you own a gun, decline to answer, or even better say “no.” Your doc shouldn’t be asking that anyway. Your medical information is not private as we can see from this VA breach of confidentiality. Nothing is really secure. Even if you say nothing, and there is nothing the police can make up a story as NYPD cop Adrian Schoolcraft found out. We are becoming more like the old Soviet Union every day.
I always make up stuff cause the questions piss me off but I’m sure to answer no to depression/anxiety
>>The Washington Post reported that dozens of Department of Veterans Affairs employees viewed the medical records of VP candidates Sen. JD Vance and Gov. Tim Walz without authorization.<<
So dozens of Department of Veterans Affairs employees are going to be charged with viewing these files without authorization, HIPPA violations, and violations of VA policies and procedures and will be terminated from the Dept, of Veterans Affairs without pension or the ability to be rehired in some other government capacity, right? Right?!??
Dream on. Ever try to fire anybody in civil service?
Two comments. This has happened numerous times in the past. All that had to be done is IT put a lockdown on both files. Second comment. My medical file is not in the system. There are many who have their medical and service records replaced with a place holder. FKH
How do you do that
Termination and jail. It’s clear from “dozens of employees” that this wasn’t accidental.
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