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 Health Care Upstate New York (VISN 2)
Mentioned in a privacy incident report created by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs on October 18, 2012. Also cited in 132 other reports.
Report ID: SPE000000081336, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Reported Entity: VISN 02 Buffalo, NY
Issue:
A plumber found a prosthetic leg in a front loader to be placed in a dumpster. he noted that it had a label on it with a name and SSN. The leg was immediately secured in a bag and locked in his office until the Privacy Officer (PO) could be contacted. The dumpster is located outside of a building in a public area. Update: 10/22/12:The plumber is a VA employee and found the leg with the information exposed and easily accessible in a public area. It is not known how long the information was exposed. One Veteran will be sent a letter offering credit protection services.
Outcome:
Details staff educated on varifying that no identifiers are on items before disposing.