US VA COMPUTER THEFT CASE SETTLEMENT http://www.vawatchdog.org/10/nf10/nfapr10/nf042810-1.htm

VETS' CHARITIES GET $13 MILLION FROM VA'S STOLEN LAPTOP SETTLEMENT

Fisher House Foundation and the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund to share remainder of $20 million settlement with veterans.

NOTE from Larry Scott, VA Watchdog dot Org ... In May of 2006 we learned that a VA laptop had been stolen. The computer contained the personal information on nearly 26.5 million veterans.

The laptop was recovered and the FBI determined that no information had been stolen.

However, many veterans, fearing the worst, bought into credit reporting programs and ID theft services. Others, also fearing the worst, ended up in counseling.

Complete information is on this page ...

http://www.vawatchdog.org/va%20data%20theft%20news.htm

Then, in early 2009 we learned:

VA SETTLES CLASS-ACTION LAWSUIT OVER 2006 LAPTOP THEFT FOR $20 MILLION -- Veterans will be reimbursed for out-of-pocket expenses caused by theft. Any remaining funds will be donated to vets' charities.

http://www.vawatchdog.org/09/nf09/nfjan09/nf012809-3.htm

And:

COURT NOTIFIES VETS OF CLASS ACTION SETTLEMENT IN VA COMPUTER THEFT -- Those who suffered out-of-pocket expense because of computer theft can now make a claim for repayment.

http://www.vawatchdog.org/09/nf09/nfmar09/nf032309-7.htm

Website for the lawsuit is here: http://www.veteransclass.com/

Now we know who gets how much. Great job to the attorneys who forced this issue and made the VA pay the veterans and the charities!

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Vets use settlement millions from massive identity-theft suit against VA to help other vets

BY Stephanie Gaskell

DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2010/04/27/2010-04-27_ve

ts_use_settlement_millions_to_help_vets.html

Pay it forward.

That's what a group of veterans is doing with a $20 million class-action settlement from the Department of Veterans Affairs over a massive identity-theft suit.

They're donating about $13 million to the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund and the Fisher House Foundation, two New York-based charities that help families of fallen and wounded troops.

"When I first heard about it, it just really knocked me down. It's indicative of the kind of men and women they are," said Fisher House CEO Ken Fisher.

About 20 million veterans sued the VA after an employee's laptop with their personal information was stolen in 2006. The vets argued that the VA didn't do enough to protect them after discovering the sensitive data was missing.

"The veterans are very glad to have done this. These two are the most substantial organizations around," said plaintiff John Rowan, a 64-year-old Air Force veteran from Middle Village, Queens. "But the bottom line is, we had to make sure the VA doesn't do this again."

The Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund raises money for families of soldiers killed in combat. It also helped build the renowned Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio and the soon-to-be opened National Intrepid Center for Excellence, a traumatic brain injury hospital in Bethesda, Md.

There are 45 Fisher Houses across the country, located next to VA hospitals to give families of wounded soldiers a place to stay while they're being treated.

"It's just an incredible gift," said Chairman Arnold Fisher, whose uncle, Zachary, founded the organization in 1991. "Veterans have been forgotten about by many people of this country. They're the ones who deserve the credit."

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posted by Larry Scott

Founder and Editor

VA Watchdog dot Org