NEW YORK COMPUTER CONTAINING SOCIAL SECURTY NUMBERS AND NAMES OF 1600 MILITARY VETERANS STOLEN FROM DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS FACILITY

Computer With Personal Data Is Stolen From V.A.

A computer with sensitive information, including the Social Security numbers and the names of 1600 military veterans in the New York area, wasstolen from a Department of Veterans Affairs facility in Manhattan, a department spokeswoman said yesterday.

The theft, which was first noticed by the hospital staff on Sept. 6, came to light in late October after a letter was sent to veterans whose information was stolen.

The spokeswoman, Lisette Mondello, said the stolen computer was used to record results from a particular pulmonary testing device, and did not contain medical records. The computer was stored in a locked room on the New York campus of the Veterans Affairs New York Harbor Healthcare System on 23rd Street. The Veterans Affairs police, the F.B.I. and the inspector general’s office are investigating the theft.

Additional cameras were installed at the facility after the theft, according to the letter. The Veterans Affairs office is offering free credit monitoring service to those who have been affected.

This is the second case this year involving a stolen Veterans Affairs department computer. In May, a laptop computer with the records of 17.5 million active and retired military personnel was stolen from an agency employee’s home in suburban Maryland. The computer was recovered in June, apparently with its data untouched.

Representative Carolyn Maloney, who represents some of the veterans whose data was stolen in the latest case, criticized the agency.

“When is the V.A. finally going to get serious about protecting veterans’ personal data?” she said in a statement.
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