Hey Vets! Got your VA Letter yet?

Department of Veterans Affairs | 12 June 2005 | Gulfwar1vet

[GulfWar1Vet]

Several weeks ago, an employee of the VA took home electronic data and his home was burglarized. (wonderful) The data included names, social security #'s and dates of birth (Fantastic!)

Today I got a letter from the VA stating the problem and what they are doing about it. (That's good)

The letter warned us if we notice any "suspicious activity" to notify the Federal Trade Commission (Oh boy!)

Sigh. Only if the employee just followed the "established policies"!

Anyway, here's to my SS#, my full name floating around the country/world for anybody to use as they see fit. Geesh.

Here I am! Come and get me!

Just wondering of all the vets here on FR have got there little special letter from the VA.

Gulf

[BeHoldAPaleHorse]

I don't think this material was "stolen."

The employee set it up to be "stolen." I would suggest keeping an eye on his finances until he croaks.

[Just another Joe]

Yeh, I got mine.
Hopefully they aren't selling the info to illegal aliens.

[WhirlwindAttack]

Got mine yesterday

[Ax]

Got mine today. My discharge was effective 10 Apr 1966, so I doubt if mine would've been affected.

[af_vet_rr]

Got mine monday. I haven't talked to my daughter, my nephews or my brothers to see if they've gotten their's yet.

It'd be nice to think some people would be punished for being so careless with our information, but I doubt that will happen.

What bothers me almost as much as the loss of data, is the fact that the data was so easily available on a portable system. This kind of data is worth a lot of money to certain types of people and if they got to somebody who had access to such data, they could easily buy them off, blackmail them, whatever...

[jellybean]

Got my letter the other day.

[jellybean]

I got somebody else's.

I got mine on Monday, but someone broke into my home and stole it!!

[af_vet_rr]

all jokes aside, I've spoken with about six people who have gotten their letters, and four did not know about it until they got the letter.

Furious doesn't go far enough in describing the typical reaction I encountered.

[af_vet_rr]

I still think the VA should cover fraud monitoring for 7 years.

If we can't trust them with our data in the first place, why should we trust them with even more data for the next seven years?

[wally-balls]

GOT IT MONDAY

[GulfWar1Vet]

I heard about this incident from FR, and I heard Brit Hume spoke about it on the Special Report, and of course, the VA letter, about a month after the incidient.

I wonder..can I get a new Social Security #? Anyone know?

[PETUSMC]

I believe you have to show proof that someone is using your information. However I recently heard a story of a woman that has over 200 illegal immigrants using her SSN and the Social Security Administration will not give her a new number. They send her to the FTC and they send her back to SSA.

[af_vet_rr]

If you were an illegal you could acquire a "new" SS#.

I'm surprised more FReeprs haven't gotten their letters, we must have been in the first batch. A lot of FReepers are vets or active duty/reservers/NG, and I'd expect a majority are impacted indirectly (family member).

[Sub-Driver]

I wonder how they got my address. I've moved 5 times since being discharged.

[G Larry]

I was comforted by the info that the "at-risk" info is for those who got out after 1975.
Got out in May 1974.

[af_vet_rr]

I wonder how they got my address. I've moved 5 times since being discharged.

Compared Social Security Numbers with the IRS, according to one of the articles.

Yes, it's a little creepy that seperate and distinct government agencies are sharing such information. I'm in an area that's doing the 2006 Census Survey (basically testing some stuff for the 2010 Census), and they've been very adamant that the info wouldn't be shared with anybody else, and I'm thinking "yeah, right".

[af_vet_rr]

I was comforted by the info that the "at-risk" info is for those who got out after 1975. Got out in May 1974.

I know people that got out in '71 that have gotten this letter.

If you are not an officer, when you say you got out, are you saying you got out of active service, reserves, or national guard, because techinically you might have still been in the inactive reserves.

If you have gotten any loans or anything to do with the GI Bill since that time, assume you are going to be included somehow. Paper trails don't just stop when you get out, unless you were completly done with both active and inactive service, and never filed for a VA loan or GI Bill or any benefits or made any requests for your records, even if they were medical requests. It's the government, there is a paper trail.

[Joe 6-pack]

"Yes, it's a little creepy that seperate and distinct government agencies are sharing such information....."

That was my reaction as well....since the VA has shown such careful stewardship of the data to which it was entrusted, I figure, hey, why should I be uncomfortable with the IRS giving them more of my personal info.

On top of all this, I'm now being slapped with a law suit from the guy who stole my identity, saying I ruined his credit!

[alarm rider]

Yes, came last Tuesday.

[Kokojmudd]

Got mine yesterday.