February 21, 2018

The names, social security numbers and other personal information of nearly 2,000 job applicants, employees and patients was left unattended in a hallway for almost a month during a furniture move at John J. Pershing VA Medical Center, according to the Poplar Bluff hospital...

The names, social security numbers and other personal information of nearly 2,000 job applicants, employees and patients was left unattended in a hallway for almost a month during a furniture move at John J. Pershing VA Medical Center, according to the Poplar Bluff hospital.

It has prompted new procedures to protect confidential information, including a two-person verification system to ensure no records are contained in furniture that is being moved, said Dr. Patricia Hall, medical center director. A locked staging area will also be part of the moving process.

There is no evidence the files were accessed, according to staff, who say the cabinet was at the end of a long hallway.

"Individuals whose names were contained in the box will receive a letter of notification, and those falling into certain categories of cases will be offered crediting monitoring for one year at no charge," said Hall.

The file cabinet included emails, applications and lists of patients. Of these documents, 302 contained Social Security numbers and 783 related to people who are now deceased. The next-of-kin will be notified in those cases, the VA said.

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The cabinet had been moved from one office to another at the medical center and it was temporarily stored in the hallway, according to officials, who said it was out of the way of traffic.

A "Pre-Move Furniture Checklist" now requires the signatures of the person who requested the move and person completing the move to determine there is no personal information contained in the furniture.

Hall said she has initiated a comprehensive investigation to determine the circumstances surrounding the placement of the cabinet in the hall, as well as the likelihood that protected health information and/or personal identifiable information was disclosed.

"VA places the highest priority upon safeguarding the personal information of our veterans," Hall said. "When an incident such as this is discovered, we will always immediately take prompt remedial action, such as notification - even if the risk of records compromise is very slight."

Individuals who believe they may have been affected by this incident but have not been notified by VA may verify whether their information was involved by calling: John J. Pershing VA Medical Center Privacy Officer at 1-888-557-8262 extension 54022 or by writing: Attn: Privacy Officer, 1500 N. Westwood Blvd., Poplar Bluff, Missouri, 63901.

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