Search Privacy Violations, Breaches and Complaints
This database was last updated in December 2015 ago and should only be used as a historical snapshot. More recent data on breaches affecting 500 or more people is available at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Breach Portal.
South Central VA Health Care Network (VISN 16)
Mentioned in a privacy incident report created by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs on July 8, 2011. Also cited in 317 other reports.
Report ID: SPE000000064541, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Reported Entity: VISN 16 Houston, TX
Issue:
An Administrative Assistant in the Credentialing Office reported that he had placed documents in an "in box" on his desk earlier in the morning and he stepped out of the office and upon his return discovered the documents were not there. One of the documents contained an employee's name, SSN, home address and there were copies of three medical licenses. His desk is located in an office shared by other employees and it is in a remote area in the basement where non-VA employees would not have access. All employees were asked whether they removed the documents and no one said they did. All staff in the area have access to the information as part of their regular duties. It is believed that the documents were inadvertently picked up by one of the staff members and filed in the wrong folder. Update: 07/08/11:The employee will receive a letter offering credit protection services.
Outcome:
Staff member will keep documents containing PII in locked cabinet when he leaves the room.