When Ken Newton, a Vietnam veteran who lives in Canton, Ga., requested a copy of his medical record from the DeKalb County VA Medical Center, he received an incomplete copy, along with 10 additional medical records belonging to eight men and two women he'd never met.
The strangers' records Mr. Newton received included sensitive information such as names, telephone numbers, diagnoses and medical test results, although they did not contain addresses or Social Security numbers, according to a Fox5 Atlanta report.
In a statement to the news outlet, the VA responded, "The Atlanta V.A. Medical Center places the highest priority on protecting the privacy of veterans. When issues occur in our system, we conduct reviews to identify, correct and work to prevent additional risk."
Mr. Newton told Fox 5 Atlanta he is worried that others in line with him at the medical center may have accidentally received his own records, and he plans to seek advice from his attorney on how to return the files to a person of authority from the medical center.