VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — Air Force veteran Tajma Boykin got a surprise when she opened her mail this past week.
Instead of the medical records she had requested from the Hampton Veterans Administration Medical Center, she received records for a Navy veteran from the Peninsula.
She got his name, his medical history, his social security number. And they’re both upset with the way the VA handles sensitive information.
“It’s disappointing to me,” Boykin said. “I would like the VA to just get themselves together.”
Our previous investigation involved information for a dozen veterans mishandled by a records center in the Midwest. This time the foul up happened at the local VA medical center.
The information included ten years worth of the man’s medical records, but no address or phone number. We tracked down his address, but he was out of town.
RELATED: VA loss of records affect Williamsburg veteran, again
RELATED: VA medical records once again sent to wrong veteran
He remembered getting a large envelope from the Hampton VA. His niece checked, and it turned out that the Navy vet received only his own medical records.
He’s upset that his personal information was out there. We gave him Boykin’s contact info.
She’s upset that her information could be in the hands of someone else.
“I shred my papers and everything, so to me this is just crazy,” Boykin said.
“It’s no way to treat anybody, really.”
10 On Your Side contacted the Hampton VAMC about the breach of patient privacy, asking how it could happen. When we get a response, we’ll update this story.
