More than 2000 veterans are being notified of a potential disclosure of some personal information.
Appointment notifications for 2,380 veterans at the Martinsburg VA Medical Center were sent out to the wrong recipients in November.
The potential disclosure involves limited information, and no social security numbers or other identifying information were divulged.
In a press release, the Veterans Health Administration said the error was caused when Xerox Corporation, under contract to VA, experienced a printing error. The appointment notification postcards were generated by an application that converts information in a patient’s electronic health record to an easy-to read format, then prints, seals, and mails the postcards.
The application printed postcards addressed to patients that contained appointment scheduling and reminders for other patients. This was due to a misalignment, or improper match, of the content with the name and address of the appointment postcard recipient. The error was not identified for five days, but corrected notifications have already been sent.
Veterans who have questions or concerns about whether their personal information may have been involved and who receive health care at the Martinsburg VA Medical Center can call 1-855-429-7502
The Martinsburg VA Medical Center serves more than 70,000 Veterans across the four states of West Virginia, Maryland, Virginia and Pennsylvania.