Washington, D.C. - Today Senator Daniel K. Akaka (D-HI), Ranking Member of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, expressed grave concern over the theft of personal information of 26.5 million veterans.  Senator Akaka wrote the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary, R. James Nicholson, after speaking with Deputy Secretary Gordon Mansfield early this afternoon.

In his letter, Senator Akaka states: 

“First, I am concerned that VA did not reach out to veterans immediately after the theft occurred.  How long has VA known that this information was stolen?  Why was the decision made to not inform Congress, and veterans and their families sooner? 

“Was it appropriate for this employee to have this type and amount of data on a laptop computer?  What VA security and privacy policies did the data analyst violate by taking the laptop home?  And, what was the training that this employee was provided regarding data privacy and security?  Importantly, what information is VA now giving to all employees regarding data safety?  Our veterans and their families must be assured that this will never happen again.”                                     

According to VA, one of its employees took home electronic data, without authorization. VA announced, “the data contained identifying information including names, social security numbers, and dates of birth for up to 26.5 million veterans and some spouses, as well as some disability ratings.  The employee's home was burglarized and this data was stolen.”