Another VA Data Loss Surfaces:

Veterans Affairs said Monday that a subcontractor reported a “missing” computer containing names, addresses, and social security numbers, among other information, on up to 38,000 veterans who used the VA medical centers in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. Unisys Corp., hired to work on insurance collections, told VA officials on the afternoon of Aug. 3 that a computer had gone missing from the company’s office in Reston, Va. The agency “immediately dispatched” a team to aid in a search and determine what data was involved. According Sen. Larry Craig, chairman of the Veterans’ Affairs Committee, the VA notified members of Congress on Aug. 4 and told them that the data on the computer was password protected but not encrypted. Craig says, “This whole problem with VA data security has got to stop.” Should we be comforted that VA seems to have improved its notification process