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.
VA Long Beach Healthcare System
Mentioned in a privacy incident report created by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs on April 16, 2015. Also cited in 6 other reports.
Report ID: PSETS0000118257, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Reported Entity: LONG BEACH HCS - 600
Issue:
While disposing of trash, a Veteran noticed files in a dumpster on campus. The Veteran retrieved the files and discovered they contained personally identifiable information (PII), including name, SSN, date of birth, home address and protected health information (PHI). The files were dated 2007 through 2011, and appear to have originated from the Patient Business Office.
Outcome:
04/20/18: It is estimated that the documents contained information on approximately 300 Veterans. VA Police were notified by the Veteran and subsequently took control of the files to log-in as evidence. The Privacy Officer was notified about the incident. The Veteran who discovered the files made a post on his personal Facebook page, referencing the incident and his post has been shared widely and commented on. In addition three related posts are on the VA Long Beach Healthcare System (VALBHS) Facebook page. VALBHS has addressed social medial posts, and included a message on their own page. It appears that the accounts receivable office was moved to another facility. When employees moved out of their office, it is believed they left the documents behind. Contractors were hired to move the office furniture and found the documents and did not dispose of them properly. All the documents were accounts receivable related. 04/22/15: The VA Police have completed an inventory of the documents recovered. There were a total of 358 documents and each one contained the Veterans SSN. There is no way to determine if any documents are not accounted for. It has further been verified that 77 of the Veterans are deceased. 229 Veterans will be offered credit protection services and 77 letters will be sent to their next of kin.