VA notifies hundreds of Colorado veterans of data leak involving personal information
COLORADO (KRDO) – The Veterans Affairs Eastern Colorado Health Care System (VA ECHCS) is working to notify over a thousand Colorado veterans of a data leak after inadvertently sending out personal information via email.
According to the VA's office, in January, a VA ECHCS office accidentally attached a spreadsheet containing veterans' personal information – including their full names, the last four digits of their Social Security number, mailing address, email address, and phone number – to an email sent to 75 VA ECHCS veterans while intending to attach flyers for an upcoming event.
VA ECHCS immediately attempted to recall the email after realizing the error, but was unsuccessful. The office instead sent another email to the original recipients asking them to delete the prior email containing the spreadsheet.
The VA's office said 1,115 veterans were affected by the leak. Those veterans will receive a HIPAA notification letter in the mail containing details on what information was leaked. Veterans with questions or concerns about whether their personal information may have been involved can call 1-833-935-6747 between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through Friday.
VA ECHCS provides health care services to veterans at 17 locations in Colorado, including a community living center in Pueblo.
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