Thread: VA "theft" gets better

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060531/ap_ ... NlYwN0bWE-



Stolen VA data goes beyond initial reports By HOPE YEN, Associated Press Writer
1 hour, 19 minutes ago



Personal information on 26.5 million veterans that was stolen from a Veterans Affairs employee this month not only included Social Security numbers and birthdates but in many cases phone numbers and addresses, internal documents show.

The three pages of memos by the VA, written by privacy officer Mark Whitney and distributed to high-level officials shortly after the May 3 burglary, offer new details on the scope of one of the nation's largest security breaches. The memos were obtained Wednesday by The Associated Press.

They show that a file containing 6,744 records pertaining to "mustard gas veterans" — or those who participated in chemical testing programs during World War II — was breached, and that a "short file" with as many as 10 diagnostic codes indicating a veteran's disability also was stolen.

At the same time, however, the memos suggest that the data might be difficult to retrieve by thieves.

"Given the file format used to store the data, the data may not be easily accessible," stated one memo dated May 5 and distributed internally May 8.

A spokesman for the VA did not have immediate comment Wednesday.

Some lawmakers said Wednesday they were troubled by the new revelations, which go further than what the VA initially reported after publicizing the theft on May 22. At the time, VA Secretary Jim Nicholson said the data was limited to Social Security numbers and birthdates; he later indicated that diagnostic codes in some cases also may have been breached.

I still think this was a carefully orchestrated move by the administration to provide millions of additional social security numbers for illegal aliens as evidenced by Vincente Bush's contempt for veterans by convening secret panels to cut our benefits coupled with the utter contempt they have shown for all Americans by allowing illegal aliens to commit felonies by fraudulent use of American's ssn's to obtain benefits and rewarding them for their behavior. Why do you think we weren't notified for 3 weeks after the "loss"? That amount of time now makes it more difficult for veterans to try to track down the location of the "lost" data. Notice how VA Secretary Nichols hasn't been called to the carpet by the White House and it has been 3 weeks with not a single word from the administration about this. This administration will engage in any lowball, underhanded tactic including the selling out of veterans to support his Latino brothers and sisters. His diversion of millions of dollars in medicaid/medicare funding to illegal aliens originally earmarked for senior citizens further shows his "go to hell attitude" toward all Americans.

The data analyst has admitted to having unauthorized possession of personal info. Unauthorized possession of personal info. is a felony. This means he or she committed 26.5 million felonies. Why hasn't the name of this admitted felon been released? Why have no charges been filed against this person?