[20060622]RS22460_退伍军人个人信息被盗和退伍军人事务部信息技术重组：国会议题.pdf

Congressional Research Service The Library of CongressCRS Report for CongressReceived through the CRS WebOrder Code RS22460June 22, 2006Theft of Veterans Personal Information, and Department of Veterans AffairsInformation Technology Reorganization: Issues for CongressSidath Viranga PanangalaAnalyst in Social LegislationDomestic Social Policy DivisionAlison M. SmithLegislative AttorneyAmerican Law DivisionSummaryThe Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) recently reported a security breach in itscybersecurity system that resulted in the loss of veterans personal information,including names, birthdates, and Social Security numbers. According to the VA, at thistime there have been no reports of identity theft resulting from the loss of the data, andthe agency has announced that it will provide one year of free credit monitoring toveterans whose information was stolen. This loss of data has raised several importantissues for Congress, including providing immediate relief to veterans that may beaffected by the breach of data, as well as reorganization of the VA informationtechnology (IT) system so that such incidents may be avoided in the future. This reportwill be updated as events warran