Murkowski Pushes Investigation of Stolen Military Medical Records
After 4.9 Million Records Stolen, Senator Calls for DoD Report
Washington, D.C. – Senator Lisa Murkowski introduced an amendment to the 2012 National Defense Authorization Act that calls for a Department of Defense Inspector General investigation into the theft of 4.9 million TRICARE records containing personal information of active duty service members, military families and retirees from the vehicle of a military contractor. TRICARE is the health care program serving the military, retirees and their families worldwide.
“Our military families are justifiably outraged and rightfully alarmed to find out the federal government cannot protect information that they promised would be confidential,” said Murkowski. “I filed this amendment for all the affected Alaskans, to get some answers about how this happened, what the risks are and peace of mind that better safeguards will be put in place.”
Weeks ago, Science Applications International, Inc. (SAIC) notified TRICARE participants in Alaska and nationwide of the theft which occurred on September 14, 2011 when records were stolen from an SAIC employee’s vehicle. The information could contain names, addresses, social security numbers, and patient medical information, though military officials say the risk of abuse of this information is low.
The amendment put forth by Murkowski requires the Department of Defense Inspector General to: (1) conduct an investigation that finds the actual risk of the stolen information being accessed by a third party, and (2) make a recommendation about how to reduce the risk of future thefts.
(The Murkowski amendment is attached.)
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