U.S. Senator Ken Salazar

Member: Agriculture, Energy, Veterans' Affairs, Ethics and Aging Committees

 

2300 15th Street, Suite 450 Denver, CO 80202 | 702 Hart Senate Building, Washington, D.C. 20510

 

 

For Immediate Release

May 25, 2006

CONTACT:    Cody Wertz – Comm. Director

                        303-455-7600

Andrew Nannis  – Press Secretary

                        202-224-5852


 Sen. Salazar Urges VA to Serve Those Who Served Our Country

WASHINGTON, D.C. – From his seat on the Veterans’ Affairs Committee, United States Senator Ken Salazar questioned VA officials today who were called to explain to the Committee how they let 26.5 million pieces of veterans’ personal information to be stolen and what is being done about it.

In his opening statement Senator Salazar said, “First and foremost, I share the concern of our nation’s veterans about the potential for misuse of their names, birthdates, and Social Security numbers, and the consequences – both personal and financial – that could result.

“What is also troubling to me is the nature of the information that has been compromised. This is not like losing your keys or your credit card, where you can change your locks or your account information. These are the fundamental keys to a person’s identity, and they could be used to open a bank account, take out a loan, obtain lines of credit, buy property – and the list goes on. The lives of millions of our nation’s veterans could be turned upside down as a result of this security lapse.”

Today’s hearing follows a series of steps Senator Salazar has taken on this issue:

  • In a letter to VA Deputy Secretary Mansfield sent earlier this week the Senator expressed his deep concern about the unauthorized removal of 26.5 million pieces of veterans’ personal information from the VA, the subsequent stealing of that data from an employee’s home, and the fact that VA may not have acted quickly enough to publicly admit to the situation. The full text of that letter can be accessed by clicking here.
  • Senator Salazar posted information and phone numbers for veterans to help them protect themselves against identity theft. The link to that information can be found on Senator Salazar’s website, www.salazar.senate.gov.
  • Yesterday, Senator Salazar co-sponsored legislation from Senator Kerry providing free credit monitoring and credit reports for veterans who may have been impacted by this situation.

Senator Salazar added, “Our nation owes a debt to our veterans that can never be fully repaid. It is deeply concerning to me that the very agency responsible for providing these veterans with the care and services they have earned failed to protect their most basic personal information. For that reason, I am hopeful that we can get to the bottom of some of these issues today.”

Senator Salazar’s complete opening statement can be accessed by clicking here.

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