Vet fears check was taken with VA data

http://www.cleveland.com/search/index.ssf?/base/isvet/1149852765266930.xml?isvet&coll=2

Friday, June 09, 2006
Staff and wire reports

Washington- An Ashtabula veteran who says his June disability check was diverted to a fraudulent bank account fears his problem resulted from the theft of a laptop computer that contained records on 26.5 million U.S. veterans, Rep. Steve LaTourette told Veterans Affairs Secretary Jim Nicholson at a hearing on Capitol Hill.

Nicholson said he didn't know whether 33-year-old Steven Michel's personal data was compromised by the May 3 theft from a VA employee's home and promised to help resolve the case. He called it the "first incidence" of identity theft he's heard of since the security breach.

"If it's not related, it's good news for the VA," LaTourette told Nicholson at the Thursday hearing. "If it is, you've got a big problem."

On June 1, Michel noticed that his $873 disability check hadn't been deposited to his bank account, as it has been for years. The VA told Michel, a Gulf War era veteran with congestive heart failure, that it had deposited his check into a "new" bank account. Michel immediately visited the VA's Cleveland office to correct his records and contacted LaTourette...

This needs some serious attention - we know the M$M won't be telling us about it.

may be one of the vets in that boat. Will let you know if anything happens in his case.

or check in on this? (Other than the VA) I mean, has anyone started a something like that snce this has come up? Or maybe there are vet advocacy groups that are tackling this?

be interesting to know though

know of someone who is keeping tabs on this if they aren't themselves.

edit to add: lots of info here http://www.veteransforpeace.org/

private company and they charge for info. If I wanted to find if my name was one that was stolen, I had to pay. They gave a minimum of something like 65 cents, but no maximum charge for the info. Our government should be giving us that info, not some private company. We shouldn't have to pay for the info.

...and tell them when you called the VA, who you spoke to, provide the number you were given, and let them GET ON THAT.

That's EGREGIOUS.

I have started a thread with the info.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x1381248

The FAQ reply (#1) has the info you need.


on edit: to add FAQ info

I know there are a lot of important issues like the Zarq & vote fraud, but for crying out loud...... I'll stop whining.

Is that possible? This country should be so ashamed of itself..

If millionaires can get tax breaks we can get a little positive attention from Congress.

This is important info...

sure funds haven't been diverted, and that the system is still in full swing.

Errors happen, and this may have just been some strange glitch. I haven't heard of anyone else missing their check/payment in these parts, so don't panic and call the VA and overwhelm them needlessly. We are well into the month, and there would have been more than one instance if this was something taking place at this point in time.

Check w/Vet Org's like the American Legion, VFW and Am Vets to see if there have been reports. The leaders of these, and other organizations are in DC and they will have the most recent updates of any info about this.

One missing payment does NOT qualify as a disaster, (it is for the recipient, but does not signify a breakdown from the theft).

Call your Congresscritters office and voice your concern, so there is a record that you have been in touch. But if things are normal at this point, there is no reason to overwhelm the VA system with concerns, simply because there are Vets out there w/other problems that need to be addressed as well, and some of these may well be life threatening. I personally don't receive payments from the VA, and I know how stressful this is, but please, all of us Vets have seen times of stress and we've come through them as the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines we are/were, and the VA and FBI are working on this. Backup records and security measures in force should hold problems at bay for the time being.

If there are any other Vets that you can verify have had lost payments, or if a Vet here has had a check not come through normally, PLEASE post info here after getting in touch w/VA...if you received your check, PLEASE post here as well and allay some of the fears.

This is serious business, but we should not panic. We should do what we can to make sure our Vet brothers and sisters don't get stiffed, but we have to do it in a rational way.

I did put a Fraud alert on my credit file. I'm also paying the 5 bucks a month for monitoring right now. I worked too hard in the past few years to get a good FICO. I'm not going to trust the VA or the Bush Federal Govt to take care of this.

If someone thinks I'm jumping the gun so be it.

in fact I think that was an excellent course of action.

I am worried that 28 million will call the VA in one fell swoop, and nothing will get done. These things snowball....protection is very advisable a sensible approach!

:)

My husband's a vet and we've been waiting for the other shoe to drop on this.

The support - or, rather, lack up support - shown by the VA for veterans whose info has been compromised is appalling.

It wasn't exactly fabulous before, but under this administration, it's worse and getting worse. I can't believe these rat-bastards have the crust to fling accusations about not supporting the troops at anyone who disagrees with them when their own disrespect and disregard for those who serve and served is abysmal.

"Nicholson said he didn't know whether 33-year-old Steven Michel's personal data was compromised by the May 3 theft..."

:kick:

http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/news/1149928924191950.xml&coll=2

Saturday, June 10, 2006
Sabrina Eaton
Plain Dealer Bureau

Washington - The theft of a laptop computer that contained records on 26.5 million veterans had nothing to do with the diversion of an Ashtabula veteran's June disability check into an incorrect bank account, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs announced Friday.

The unauthorized change to 33-year-old Steven Michel's account was put into the department's computer system on April 27, almost a week before the computer theft from a VA employee's Maryland residence on May 3, said department spokesman Matt Burns...

"Without seeing the proof myself, I don't care what they tell me over the phone," said Michel, a Gulf War-era veteran who has a heart condition. "My trust with the VA has been shattered."

VA spokesman Burns said Michel's earlier check wasn't affected because department computers didn't process the April 27 change until May 3. Burns said the VA is still investigating the cause of Michel's problem but "can say with certainty that it was not related to the recent data theft."...