VA Directive 6371.pdf

The document is a VA Directive (6371) issued on April 8, 2014, providing comprehensive guidelines for the destruction of temporary paper records containing sensitive information within the Department of Veterans Affairs. The directive establishes department-wide policies to ensure the secure, economical, and effective handling of temporary paper records that contain Personally Identifiable Information (PII), Protected Health Information (PHI), and other VA sensitive information.

Key implementation procedures include requirements for federal agencies to follow specific regulations for destroying temporary records, mandating that sensitive records be definitively destroyed through methods like burning, pulping, or shredding so they are not readable or reconstructable. The directive outlines detailed responsibilities for VA leadership, including communicating the policy to employees, monitoring security practices, allocating resources for compliance, and developing mechanisms to enhance the organization's security culture. The document also provides minimum standards for information destruction contractors, covering physical and operational security, documentation and control of resources, and other operational requirements to protect sensitive information during the destruction process.