State investigation: Oklahoma VA didn't violate privacy laws

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — The Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs didn't violate privacy laws when it allowed medical aides to search patients' records on their cellphones, according to a state investigation.

Mark Gower, the state's chief information security officer, wrote a memo that said the practice doesn't violate state or federal privacy laws, The Oklahoman reported.

An internet outage on July 25 prevented employees at VA centers in Norman and Lawton from accessing medical records, Gower said. The agency granted employees the authority to use their smartphones to access records. The access was secure and limited to a small number of employees, Gower said.