VA patient information posted online

PORTLAND, Ore., Nov. 2 (UPI) -- The U.S. Veterans Administration has mistakenly posted patients' personal information online, officials said.

The VA hospital in Portland, Ore., said the federal agency posted such personal information as Social Security numbers of about 1,600 patients in Oregon alone.

The (Portland) Oregonian reported Sunday that the information breach also involved patient information from other VA hospitals.

The affected patients were among those who stayed in local lodging at VA expense while undergoing treatment at the Portland VA Medical Center, a VA spokesman said. No medical information was disclosed, Portland VA spokesman Mike McAleer said.

The information was released when the VA's financial records were transferred to the federal Web

site USAspending.gov, where the public can search for details of government contracts and spending.