Va Employee Loses Portable Hard Drive Containing Sensitive Information, Again

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VA EMPLOYEE LOSES PORTABLE HARD DRIVE CONTAINING SENSITIVE INFORMATION ON 1.8 MILLION VETERANS AND DOCTORS


A Veterans Affairs employee has lost a government-owned, portable hard drive containing sensitive information on 1.8 million veterans and doctors. On January 22nd, the employee, who works at the Birmingham, Alabama VA Medical Center, reported that the external hard drive was missing.

The hard drive could contain personal information, including Social Security numbers, from approximately 535,000 individuals, and billing information on 1.3 million living and deceased physicians across the country, department officials reported. At this point, VA officials say that it is unclear whether the hard drive was lost or stolen.

The VA did not inform the public that the hard drive was missing until early February, causing some – such as Rep. Artur Davis (D-Alabama) – to question the reasons for the delay. The VA is now in the process of notifying those affected by the security lapse.

Secretary of Veterans Affairs Jim Nicholson has said the investigation is ongoing, and that the employee has been placed on administrative leave pending its outcome.

The department is making arrangements to provide one year of free credit monitoring to those whose information has been compromised. In addition, the VA is operating a call center that individuals can contact to get information about the incident. The toll-free number is 1-877-894-2600. The call center will operate each day from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. CST, as long as it is needed.

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