Lawmakers want VA to better secure records after campaign violations

Even though the election is over, Republican lawmakers still want answers from Department of Veterans Affairs officials on how they plan to better secure candidates’ veterans medical and benefits records ahead of future campaigns.

Earlier this fall, VA officials confirmed that the Department of Justice is investigating several federal staffers for improperly accessing the veterans records of vice presidential candidates Tim Walz and JD Vance amid the contentious summer campaign.

In a statement Friday, VA press secretary Terrence Hayes said that department leaders are continuing to work with investigators on the matter and “will take swift and appropriate action to discipline any VA employees who sought to improperly access veteran records.”

But in a letter to VA Secretary Denis McDonough earlier this month, a group of eight Republican senators led by Texas Sen. Ted Cruz expressed concern that the matter remains unsettled, even after votes were counted in the presidential contest.

“The repeated, unauthorized access of veterans’ medical records by VA employees is a serious breach of trust that demands swift and decisive action,” the group wrote. “We urge you to act immediately to safeguard the medical privacy of every veteran in the VA system and to prevent such activity in the future.”

The senators asked for more information on safeguards and policy changes put in place following the security breach, to ensure similar intrusions don’t occur again.

Hayes said that following notification of the allegations of improper accessing of the records, VA leaders limited access to all records regarding Walz’ and Vance’s use of department services. They also stepped up monitoring on those files and distributed a staff-wide message warning about improper viewing of veterans’ private information.

“Every VA employee is required to take extensive yearly training on when and how they are allowed to access veteran medical records, if at all,” Hayes said. “These trainings also make clear the stark consequences of failure to properly use these records, including discipline that could include firing and reporting to law enforcement authorities.”

Vance, now the vice president-elect, spoke on the campaign trail about using VA health care after leaving the active-duty ranks. He served in the Marine Corps for four years. Walz, the current governor of Minnesota, served for 24 years in the Army National Guard.

Federal officials did not say how many employees accessed the vice presidential candidates’ records. The senators in their letter suggested as many as a dozen VA employees may have viewed them without proper justification.