VA patient receives wrong medical information in the mail

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) – Veteran Kenneth Hanks received not one, but two letters in the mail containing other VA patients’ medical information. In a 15 Finds Out investigation, Hanks showed NewsChannel 15 the two letters he received along with his own.

Hanks said when he told someone at the local Department of Veterans Affairs, the response makes him believe this isn’t the first time it’s happened.

For more than ten years Hanks has been going to the VA Northern Indiana Healthcare System for lung x-rays. Then, he gets his results in the mail, but he got more than expected this last time around.

“I open them up,” Hanks said. “I’m reading them, and I think wait a minute I didn’t have an ankle x-ray. I look and it’s two other veterans’ results of their tests in with mine.”

When he called the VA to let them know what happened he said the patient advocate said “Oh no, not again.”

Hanks said there is information in the letters you wouldn’t want to end up in the wrong hands.

“It doesn’t have their social security number, but it has their name and their address, their doctor’s name, what the tests were and the results of the test,” Hanks said.

Hanks is thankful for the VA. Without it he couldn’t afford the multiple forms of medication he takes every day. He’s just worried his information may have gotten into someone else’s hands.

“Who is getting my results,” Hanks said.

The VA sent Hanks an envelope to send the other two results back, which he plans to do.

NewsChannel 15 has called and emailed the VA Northern Indiana Healthcare System several times, and contacted the national office for comment. We have yet to receive a response.