Department of Veterans Affairs Data Breach (2006)

Personal information, including Social Security numbers, of possibly every living U.S. veteran discharged since 1975 was stolen earlier this month from the home of a Veterans Affairs employee, the department announced Monday. The employee took the electronic data without authorization, Veterans Affairs Secretary Jim Nicholson said. Sources said the employee, now placed on administrative leave, worked in the Policy and Planning Group at department headquarters and was performing a statistical analysis on the data as part of an annual department study on veteran population demographics. The data also contained the names, dates of birth and some disability ratings for up to 26.5 million veterans and some of their spouses, according to a VA statement. The stolen data does not contain medical records, the department said, adding that the FBI and the department's inspector general have mounted investigations.