On July 30, 2014, a folder containing the full name and Social Security number of 2,657 Veterans was discovered by a VA supervisor in a women’s public restroom in the lobby of Building 41 at the Raymond G. Murphy VA Medical Center in Albuquerque. The folder was taken to Chief of Health Information Management (HIM) for review of the contents.
There are no reports of criminal activities directly involved with the veterans’ personal information. However, as a precautionary measure, New Mexico VA Health Care System is currently in the process of contacting and offering free credit monitoring services for a period of 12 months to the 2,657 veterans whose information was in the folder.
The employee responsible for misplacing the folder has voluntarily resigned from the VA.
The New Mexico VA Health Care System (NMVAHCS) provides training to all employees regarding the importance of protecting patients’ privacy. Veterans can rest assured that the NMVAHCS is constantly improving systems designed to protect their private information. VA is committed to protecting veterans, their families and our employees, and we are constantly reviewing our processes to provide better, safer and faster care for our veterans.
Veterans with questions about this incident may contact the NMVAHCS Privacy Office at (505) 265-1711, ext. 5723 for more information.
Information from: New Mexico VA Health Care System