Two class-action lawsuits have been filed against the Department of Veterans Affairs in response to a recent data theft that could affect 26.5 million veterans, Federal Computer Week reports.
In addition to the 26.5 million veterans, the VA on Monday said the stolen database also included information on 10,000 to 20,000 members of the National Guard and Reserve and 25,000 to 30,000 Navy personnel who completed their enlistment before 1991.
The Vietnam Veterans of America, the National Gulf War Resource Center, Radiated Veterans of America, Citizen Soldier and Veterans for Peace filed a class-action lawsuit, which seeks $1,000 in damages for each veteran affected by the data theft. The suit also asks the court to prohibit the VA from making changes to its data storage systems until after a court-appointed expert panel determines how to prevent security breaches in the future.
Paul Hackett, an Ohio Marine reservist who served in Iraq, and Matthew Page from Kentucky also filed a class-action lawsuit against the VA seeking $1,000 for each veteran affected by the data theft. Their lawsuit asks the Kentucky court to prohibit the VA from using information systems without appropriate safeguards in place to protect the privacy of veterans' records, Federal Computer Week reports. The suit also asks that the VA establish an identity- and credit-monitoring program for veterans whose data was stolen (Brewin, Federal Computer Week, 6/6).