Photo of the U.S. Capitol dome

Wilson Expresses Concern About Records of SC Veterans

May 23, 2006
Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Emily Lawrimore
202-225-2452 (W)
202-468-3258 (C)

May 23, 2006

Wilson Expresses Concern About Records of SC Veterans

Today, Congressman Joe Wilson (SC-02), a veteran of the South Carolina Army National Guard, made the following statement regarding the Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) announcement that identifying information for 26.5 million veterans and some spouses was stolen earlier this month:

“Like all veterans, I was extremely discouraged to learn that a federal employee would act so irresponsibly when entrusted with the personal information of millions of American Veterans. As the VA continues to investigate the status of these records, I will closely monitor this situation and work with my colleagues to put a policy into place which will prevent similar security breaches from happening in the future.

“In this day and age, Americans simply cannot afford to underestimate the potential dangers of identity theft. If South Carolinians are even the slightest bit concerned about the status of their records, I encourage them to utilize the resources established by the VA and take the immediate steps to protect their privacy.”

The Department of Veterans Affairs recently announced that an employee took home electronic data from the VA, which he was not authorized to do, and was in violation of established policies. The employee’s home was burglarized and this data was stolen. The data contains 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. Appropriate law enforcement agencies, including the FBI and the VA Inspector General's office, have launched full-scale investigations into this matter.

For more information about this situation and to learn more about consumer identity protections, Veterans may visit www.firstgov.gov and www.va.gov/opa or call 1-800-FED INFO (333-4636). The call center will operate from 8 am to 9 pm (EST), Monday-Saturday.

###