Employees at the Department of Veterans Affairs improperly accessed the medical records of Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance and Democrat vice presidential nominee Tim Walz, both veterans.
At least a dozen employees are now under criminal investigation for violating federal health privacy laws, The Washington Post reported. Officials from the VA notified the Vance and Walz campaigns about the records breach after it was discovered.
“We reported to law enforcement allegations that VA personnel may have improperly accessed Veteran records. We take the privacy of the Veterans we serve very seriously and have strict policies in place to protect their records,” VA Press Secretary Terrence Hayes told the New York Post. “Any attempt to improperly access Veteran records by VA personnel is unacceptable and will not be tolerated.”
Sources familiar with the investigation told the Washington Post that employees of the agency’s healthcare sector, the Veterans Health Administration, accessed the records.
The office of the VA inspector general reportedly provided evidence to federal prosecutors showing multiple employees accessing the information. Among those who accessed the information were a physician and a contractor who looked through the candidates’ medical files.
The files were accessed using VA computers from government offices, and investigators are trying to determine whether either of the candidates’ health records have been shared.
The breach was uncovered last month during a routine review of the department’s high-profile accounts, the Post reported.
It is currently unclear what motivated the individuals to access the files, though some have said they were merely curious. Those who accessed the medical files reportedly didn’t have access to disability compensation records, which are kept more securely.
When VA Secretary Denis McDonough learned of the breach, he sent a department-wide memo reminding employees about privacy.
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“Veterans trust us to respect their privacy and protect the confidentiality of their information,” he wrote, according to a copy obtained by the New York Post. “We earn this trust by adhering to our core values of integrity, commitment, advocacy, respect, and excellence in everything we do – and by making sure that that we follow all laws and policies when accessing and safeguarding Veteran data.”
If found to have violated federal privacy laws, the employees could face up to a year in prison and a fine of up to $50,000.
This is the first election since 1996 in which both vice presidential candidates are veterans. Vance is a Marine Corps veteran who worked in public affairs and was deployed to Iraq for six months between 2005 and 2006. Walz served in the National Guard for 24 years and retired after learning his unit could be sent to Iraq, The Daily Wire reported. He also repeatedly lied about his rank when he retired, as he failed to meet the conditions to maintain a Command Sergeant rank and, therefore, retired as a Master Sergeant.
