VA Tightens Protections for Veterans Paperwork

Peake: Lapses “Unacceptable,” Procedures and Accountability Tightened WASHINGTON (Oct. 16, 2008) — Secretary of Veterans Affairs Dr. James B.

Peake vowed swift action after a handful of documents related to veterans’ applications for financial benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) were found among documents identified for shredding. The documents, which were not duplicated in government files, could have affected veterans’ eligibility for benefits.

“I insist on the highest possible standards for processing and safeguarding information in VA’s custody,” Peake said. “It is unacceptable that documents important to a veteran’s claim for benefits should be misplaced or destroyed.”