VA Northern California Health Care System

The covered entity (CE), VA Northern California Health Care System, reported that an employee left a document containing the protected health information (PHI) of 645 individuals in a public space. The PHI involved included names, Social Security numbers, and treatment information. The CE notified HHS, affected individuals, the media, and provided complimentary identity and credit monitoring services to all affected individuals. Following the breach, the CE retrained its workforce members on the importance of safeguarding PHI.