Today, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) notified Ranking Member Steve Buyer (R-Ind.) that two personal computers and a laptop computer were allegedly stolen from an unsecured room at Roudebush VA Medical Center in Indianapolis, Indiana on Veterans. Day weekend.
Law enforcement and VA authorities were immediately notified. One of the stolen computers contained the names, social security numbers and dates of service of approximately 12,000 veterans. Local and state police and the FBI are investigating the incident.
"I am upset that the VA repeatedly fails to comply with its own policy to safeguard veterans' personal information," Buyer said. "The VA must give immediate assurance to over 12,000 veterans that it will provide full credit monitoring and protection of sensitive personal information."
In May 2006, after the theft of a VA laptop computer that put at risk the personal data of more than 25 million veterans and 2.2 million active duty members of the National Guard and Reserves, Buyer led the charge to enact legislation to protect veterans and servicemembers from misuse of their sensitive personal information. The law directed VA to provide breach notification to individuals, reports to Congress, fraud alerts, data breach analysis, credit monitoring services and identity theft insurance.
"I am outraged that these computers were stolen from Roudebush VA hospital over Veterans' Day weekend, and I call upon those who may have taken these computers to return them immediately."