Vance and Walz’s medical records were improperly accessed by a dozen VA employees, sparking investigation

At least a dozen employees at the Department of Veterans Affairs improperly accessed medical files for JD Vance and Tim Walz, and now officials have launched a medical investigation.

A breach involving records of the Republican and Democratic vice presidential candidates, both military veterans, could amount to violations of federal medical privacy laws.

VA employees had accessed Vance’s records roughly two months ago, according to The Washington Post, which first reported the incident. The office of VA inspector general contacted both campaigns to alert them of the breach.

Terrence Hayes, a spokesman for the VA, said in a statement to The Independent that the agency has “reported to law enforcement allegations that VA personnel may have improperly accessed Veteran records.”

“We take the privacy of the Veterans we serve very seriously and have strict policies in place to protect their records,” Hayes added. “Any attempt to improperly access Veteran records by VA personnel is unacceptable and will not be tolerated.”

The agency referred The Independent to the Department of Justice for further comment.

Vance spent four years in the Marines and served a tour in Iraq in 2005 as a combat correspondent. Walz served 24 years in the National Guard and retired in 2005 before a run for Congress.

Officials at the VA had notified both campaigns about discovering that employees within the agency’s Veterans Health Administration healthcare arm did not have authorization to review their records, according to The Post, citing people familiar with the investigation speaking anonymously.

The office of VA Inspector General Michael Missal has reportedly shared evidence with federal prosecutors about the employees, which include a physician