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  For Immediate Release  
  Contact: Phil Bloomer  
  Phone: (217) 403-4690  
June 19, 2006
 
REP. JOHNSON ON VETERAN ID THEFT, NEW VETERAN BENEFITS
 
 
 

Washington, D.C. -  U.S. Rep. Tim Johnson today praised the President’s signing of a bill that will aid disabled veterans and their families. In a related matter, Rep. Johnson announced that he has become a cosponsor of the Veterans Identity Protection Act, H.R. 5520.

“The identity protection act is an unfortunate but necessary response to protect the well-being of these valued citizens and make them whole as a result of any damages suffered through identity theft,” Rep. Johnson said.

Last month, the Department of Veterans Affairs revealed that a disk containing information including names, Social Security numbers and dates of birth for up to 26.5 million veterans had been compromised. Without authorization, a VA employee took this sensitive information home with them. The home was burglarized and the data was stolen. 

“I have heard from veterans concerning this startling news and I share their concern,”

The identity protection bill will:

  • Setup an independent Office for Veterans Identity Theft Claims to receive, process and pay claims for any veteran whose identity has been stolen as a result of this theft.
     
  • Provide an accelerated process for filing claims as an exception to the Federal Tort Claims Act, which can take years and cost thousands of dollars.

“I have heard from veterans concerning this startling news and I share their concern,” Rep. Johnson said.  “The loss of this identifying information is unacceptable and I intend to follow this situation very closely to make sure those responsible for the loss of information answer for this extraordinarily poor judgment.  While the FBI and the VA continue to investigate this matter, I feel it is important for veterans to take extra precautions and learn more about how they can protect themselves from identity theft.

For information on the stolen data, veterans can go to http://www.firstgov.gov/veteransinfo.shtml.  The Federal Trade Commission also has information on defending against identity theft at http://www.consumer.gov/idtheft/.

The VA also has also set up a call center where veterans can learn more about this situation as well as consumer identity protections.  The toll-free number is 1-800-FED INFO (333-4636).

For the time being, VA is operating under the assumption that some information for all veterans was included.  While the VA has indicated it will make an effort to send out individual notification letters, the agency cannot guarantee that every affected veteran will receive one.  I will use every resource at my disposal to find out if any of the stolen information belonged to veterans in my district.  If veterans have further questions about this situation, I invite them to contact my office.

Also today, a bill to help disabled veterans and their families was signed into law Thursday by President Bush.

“The Veterans’ Housing Opportunity and Benefits Act of 2006 helps severely disabled veterans of the war on terror recover from their injuries and regain their independence,” said Rep. Johnson.

The new law provides adaptive assistance grants to veterans residing temporarily in homes owned by a family member.  Grants range from $2,000 to $14,000 and a veteran may receive up to three such grants within the maximum amount.

Many of those wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan spend time convalescing at a family home before moving on to a home of their own.  Previously, the Department of Veterans Affairs could not help adapt family homes unless the veteran had an ownership interest in the home. 

The new law also permits service members who are rated totally disabled to receive post-separation Servicemembers’ Group Life Insurance (SGLI) free of charge for up to two years through 2011.  Servicemembers insured by SGLI can then convert to Veterans’ Group Life Insurance or a commercial policy.

“Providing totally disabled service members with insurance that can be converted to low-cost Veterans’ Group Life Insurance is important because many veterans who return home injured may not be able to qualify for affordable commercial insurance,” Rep. Johnson said.

The new law also provides additional healthcare insurance protections for service members who are called to active duty by expanding reinstatement of insurance provisions and limiting premium increases.

 

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