Investigators found that at least a dozen Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) employees improperly accessed the medical records of vice presidential hopefuls Tim Walz and J.D. Vance over the summer, The Washington Post reported.
The behavior uncovered by VA investigators potentially violates federal privacy laws and is the subject of a criminal investigation, according to the Post. Officials have notified both campaigns about the breaches, which reportedly happened in the VA’s Veterans Health Administration (VHA), anonymous sources familiar with the investigation told the Post.
The VA’s Office of the Inspector General has provided federal prosecutors with evidence pertaining to the actions of several VHA employees, including a physician and a contractor, who spent “extended time” viewing the medical records, according to the Post. The motivations of the VA employees who improperly reviewed the records remain unknown, though some indicated they wanted to look at them out of curiosity given that the candidates’ military service records have played a part in the presidential race.
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Investigators probing the situation are reportedly trying to determine whether or not Vance’s and Walz’s records were shared with others, according to the Post. The employees at the center of the investigation do not appear to have accessed disability compensation records, which are generally more secure than other health records.
“We reported to law enforcement allegations that VA personnel may have improperly accessed Veteran records,” a VA spokesperson told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “We take the privacy of the Veterans we serve very seriously and have strict policies in place to protect their records. Any attempt to improperly access Veteran records by VA personnel is unacceptable and will not be tolerated.”
The records in question were improperly accessed in July and August of this year, according to the Post. Officials noticed the breach while conducting a routine security check of the agency’s high-profile accounts.
VA Secretary Denis McDonough sent a memo to his agency’s workforce in August, shortly after the conduct at the center of the probe was uncovered, reminding all employees that “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,” according to the Post.
Prosecutors are still weighing how long any VA employees may have examined the records and their motivations for doing so, according to the Post. Even if some of the employees are not hit with criminal charges after the investigation concludes, they may still be subject to administrative penalties.
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