The Department of Veterans Affairs has warned more than 2,100 veterans in Eastern Colorado and parts of Kansas that their personal information may have been compromised when an employee emailed documents to himself.
(FOX)- An agency employee told The Associated Press that he is the person who emailed the information to himself, describing it as unauthorized wait lists used by VA health care facilities in Colorado.
The employee, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he fears retaliation, said he wanted to document the lists because they could have been used to conceal lengthy delays in providing care.
In Wednesday’s warning to veterans, the VA said the potentially compromised information included veterans’ full names, the last four digits of their Social Security numbers and medical diagnoses. The agency said the employee emailed it to himself in unencrypted form.
The VA said it is investigating. The agency didn’t identify the employee.
The VA’s internal watchdog, the Office of Inspector General, announced last month it was looking into the employee’s claims at the request of Sens. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin and Cory Gardner of Colorado.