The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has notified thousands of veterans about a data breach involving the disclosure of personal information, primarily affecting most of Florida. The breach was attributed to a former employee of the Orlando VA health care system who sent documents to a personal email account on their last day of employment. Fortunately, there is no evidence to suggest that the information was further disseminated beyond this point.
The disclosed documents contained sensitive personal details such as names, addresses, phone numbers, and email accounts of the veterans. Some documents also included dates of birth and complete or partial Social Security numbers. The incident was discovered on January 16 and was promptly reported by the Tampa office, responsible for the region covering most of Florida, South Georgia, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
As a response to the breach, the VA took swift action, sending letters to 9,076 veterans and notifying the next of kin of 565 deceased veterans. Additionally, 209 veterans are being offered complimentary credit monitoring for a year to safeguard against potential identity theft or fraud. Veterans receiving care at Veterans Integrated Services Network 8 (VISN 8) medical centers are encouraged to contact the toll-free number provided for assistance and support regarding the breach.
