The Secretary of Veterans Affairs has asked the assistance of all Veterans Service Organizations to distribute information regarding the theft of personal information.

While the Secretary does not want to cause a panic he does want our Veterans to be aware and scruntize their records. A toll free number has been provided.

Please assist in this effort by getting the word out to Veterans in your area--especially to those who may not have email. CNN has done several stories on it today.

These are our children no matter how old they may. We have a responsbility to their moms to watch out for them as we will want the moms of the future to look out for our children.

Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, May 22, 2006 - Veterans Affairs officials today announced
the theft of personal information on up to 26.5 million veterans.
However, VA Secretary R. James Nicholson stressed there's no indication the
information is being used for purposes of fraud.

"We at the VA have recently learned that an employee here, a data
analyst, took home a considerable amount of electronic data from the VA,
which he was not authorized to do," Nicholson said. "His home was
burglarized, and this data was stolen."

The compromised data includes names, Social Security numbers and
birthdates of veterans separating from the military since 1975, he said. The
information also may have included data on veterans who separated
before 1975 but who submitted a claim for VA benefits.

No medical or financial information was compromised, though the files
might have contained numeric disability ratings in some cases, Nicholson
added. A statement issued by the department indicated that spousal
information also might have been compromised in some cases.

"There is no indication & that any use is being made of this data or
even that (the thieves) know they have it," Nicholson said.

Exercising what the secretary called "an abundance of caution," the
department is working through a number of channels, including the news
media, to make veterans aware of the situation. Individual notification
letters also will be mailed to veterans.

The department is providing more information through the
www.firstgov.gov Web site and call centers that can be reached at (800) 333-4636. The
call centers, which will be active today, will be able to handle more
than 250,000 calls a day.

"The most important priority that I have right now is to get the word
out to our veterans and get them alerted and aware of this possibility,"
Nicholson said.

The department also is encouraging veterans to watch their financial
accounts carefully for any signs of fraud or identity theft. If
suspicious activity is detected, veterans should contact the fraud department of
one of the three major credit bureaus: Equifax, Experian or TransUnion.

Nichols said the Federal Trade Commission has alerted credit bureaus of
a potential increase in requests for fraud alerts and for requests for
credit reports.

Any accounts that have been tampered with or opened fraudulently should
be closed, and the veteran should file a report with local police or
the police in the community where the identity theft took place. Those
who suspect identity theft also are encouraged to contact the Federal
Trade Commission via its identity-theft hotline at (877) 438-4338, or
through its Web site.

There is no indication when the career employee removed the information
from his office, but the data was stolen when his home was burglarized
sometime this month, Nicholson said. He declined to identify the
employee or where he lives but said law enforcement officials reported
several burglaries in the area and they do not believe the stolen information
was targeted.

"The employee has been placed on administrative leave pending the
outcome of (a full-scale) investigation," Nicholson said. All appropriate
law enforcement agencies, including the FBI and the Veterans Affairs
Department's Inspector General are participating in the investigation.

Members of the President's Identity Theft Task Force will meet today to
coordinate a comprehensive response, recommend ways to further protect
affected veterans, and increase safeguards to prevent the reoccurrence
of such incidents, Nicholson said. VA officials also moved up the date
by which all department employees must complete the "VA Cyber Security
Awareness Training Course" and the "General Employee Privacy Awareness
Course." Both must be completed by June 30.

Additionally, Veterans Affairs will immediately begin conducting a
review of all current positions requiring access to sensitive information.
All employees requiring access to such data will undergo updated law
enforcement and background checks.