Reply #17: US can't publicize VA credit watch offer

[Breeze54]

Edited for spelling error

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2006/06/26/us_cant_publicize_va_credit_watch_offer/

US can't publicize VA credit watch offer

By Hope Yen, Associated Press | June 26, 2006

WASHINGTON --

A federal judge temporarily barred the government from publicizing its free credit monitoring
offer to veterans whose personal data was stolen and wants to see if they might get a better
federal offer.

Lawyers who have filed a classaction lawsuit on behalf of the 26.5 million veterans and active
duty troops affected contend that accepting the government's offer could jeopardize their chance
of winning more money in the privacy suit.

US District Judge William Bertelsman in Kentucky scheduled a hearing for Friday to determine
whether the Veterans Affairs Department should revise its offer.

His order on the credit monitoring was issued late last week.

The suit seeks free monitoring and other credit protection for an indefinite period as well as
$1,000 in damages for each person, or up to $26.5 billion total, in what has become one of the
nation's largest information security breaches.

Last week, the department announced its plan to offer free monitoring for a year to millions
of veterans and nearly all active-duty military troops whose names, birthdates,
and Social Security numbers were stolen May 3 from a VA data analyst's home in suburban Maryland.

But in court papers, lawyers for veterans said the VA's deal was "incomplete and misleading."
The VA must make clear whether veterans who take the government deal will have to give up their
rights in court to a potentially larger payout, lawyer Marc Mezibov wrote.

More at Link....

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I read last week that The Dept. of Agriculture IS doing free credit monitoring
for their employee's who had info stolen though!