Local vets worry about missing computer
Fayette County’s Veterans Affairs director said while local officials were still trying to gather facts about the recent theft of a computer containing thousands of veteran’s identities Tuesday, area veterans were beginning to call and inquire about the incident and what is being done to protect them. “The first I heard about it was last night on the news,” Donald Seroka said. “When the first one was stolen a few months ago, I got about half a dozen-phone calls about it. I don’t think a lot of people are too concerned yet, but that might be because they don’t know about it.”
But Seroka said area veterans should be concerned after he learned Tuesday that the files on the missing computer specifically involved VA clinics in Fayette, Washington and Westmoreland counties.
“The first computer that was stolen several months ago investigators said after they recovered it that no files were copied,” Seroka said. “That time the VA got the word out quickly and kept us updated daily. This time we are still trying to understand what exactly happened.”
According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, a subcontractor working for the department to assist with insurance collections for VA medical centers in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia informed the VA that a desktop computer containing veteran’s personal information was missing from a company office.
Officials said the FBI and local law enforcement continued to investigate the incident Tuesday.
The subcontractor, Unisys, said the computer was stolen from their Reston, Va., offices sometime prior to Thursday afternoon.
The VA also said in a press release that the files on the computer are believed to be limited to the Pittsburgh and Philadelphia regions and that they might contain patients’ names, addresses, Social Security Numbers, birth dates, insurance carriers, billing information, military records and claims service.
Officials said as many as 38,000 veterans could be affected by identified in the missing files.
The latest loss of data comes just three months after personal information for 26.5 million veterans was stolen from the home of a VA employee in Maryland in early May and two other incidents where personal data was lost on thousands of vets in Minnesota and Indiana in the following months, according to the Associated Press.
Investigators in the May incident, who said they believe the veteran’s personal records had not been accessed, later recovered the computer that was stolen in Maryland.
State Americanism Day Chairman Joe T. Joseph said he was receiving updates throughout the day regarding the latest mishap.
“What is happening now is we are trying to find out how much truth there is to this and how many files were lost,” Joseph said. “But the veterans are concerned. We have had lots of calls today about this.”
Joseph said if any area veteran is concerned about identity theft, they need to take actions to protect themselves.
“If they have any doubt in their mind, then contact all the companies and banks associated with their money and credit cards,” Joseph said. “And they are more worried than what is being advertised. When an older veteran gets wind of this they think right away they are going to lose everything. Nobody knows what happened for sure and we can’t get anything directly from the VA and the government. So I am urging veterans to watch their accounts carefully and don’t hesitate to call the bank.”
Joseph said the VA is assuring branch directors that the department is “taking steps to try to guard against this in the future by putting all records under lock and key.”
Joseph said on a local level he has taken all discharge forms that used to be stored at the Uniontown American Legion and has returned them to their rightful owners to protect against theft.
And he has instructed all officials in the American Legion that no personal information about a veteran will be given out without written consent from the veteran.
State Sens. Rick Santorum and Arlen Specter sent a letter regarding the missing files to James Nicholson, secretary of Veterans Affairs, expressing their displeasure with the latest theft.
“I am absolutely appalled that another computer containing the personal information of veterans has gone missing,” Santorum said in a press release regarding the missing data. “This is a major breach of security of not only the VA and its contracting entities, but also the Pennsylvania veterans affected. This is now the second time in less than three months that the VA has allowed such a severe breach of security to occur. Those responsible must be held accountable and the VA clearly needs to do a better job of overseeing its contracting entities. We must do everything in our power to protect those veterans whose information may have been compromised.”
Washington County Director Harry Wilson and Westmoreland County Director Joseph R. Garsteck could not be reached for comment Tuesday.