New Mexico VA Health Care System

Report ID: PSETS0000110471, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

Reported Entity: NEW MEXICO HCS - 501

Issue:

Privacy Officer was informed by Supervisor for Homeless Program on 10/15/2014 per advice from Human Resources Specialist handling HR action on responsible employee - that she needed to report a privacy violation. Supervisory Social Worker provided following details to Privacy Office as follows: On October 2, 2014, at approximately 12:40pm,a LISW, assigned to the Health Care for Homeless Veterans Team in Durango, CO, left a client file box and a client file folder in the dining room of the Volunteer of America (VOA) Shelter. This box did contain client intake paperwork including a HOMES assessment. This paperwork does include the following PI: Veterans Last Name, First Name, Middle Name, Social Security Number, Date of Birth, Disability, Income, and Mental Health Diagnosis. The box was left in a dining room that is accessed by VOA staff, general population clients in the shelter, and Veterans in the shelter. VOA staff found the box and secured it in a VOA office. The responsible LISW did not retrieve the client file box and client folder until 2:45 that same day. During a fact finding, LISW denied leaving Patient Information in the dining room of the VOA and claims this was a blank folder with blank HOMES assessment forms in it. Investigation to be completed with status update and confirmation of actual information left unattended per responsible Supervisor.

Outcome:

10/28/14: The Incident Resolution Service Team has determined that Veteran A will be sent a letter offering credit protection services. 10/29/14: There were 21 Veterans' information in the box. Of those, 19 will be offered credit protection services and two will be sent HIPAA notification letters.

Related Reports:

1 other violation reported on the same date. Note that other citations may be about the same event: PSETS0000110504