US Department of Veterans Affairs
Disclosed May 22, 200620 years ago26,500,000 affectedUnverified
Stolen VA laptop holds data on 26.5 million veterans
A laptop and external drive taken from a VA employee's home held names, Social Security numbers and birth dates of veterans discharged since 1975, about 26.5 million people; 2.1 million active and reserve members were added later. The equipment was recovered.
What is known
| People affected | 26,500,000 (as reported by the organization) |
|---|---|
| Disclosed | May 22, 2006 |
| Discovered | May 2006 |
| Attack | Lost or stolen device |
| Data exposed | Names, Social Security numbers, Dates of birth, Phone numbers, Addresses |
| Sector | Government · US |
| Status | Unverified: not yet confirmed by an official notice, a filing or the organization |
| Lawsuit or fine | $20M class action settlement (2009) (about $20M) |
Sources
| Source | |
|---|---|
| Privacy Rights Clearinghouse: Chronology of Data Breachesweb.archive.org · News | News |
Notices filed
| Where | Filed | People |
|---|---|---|
| Researchtotal | May 22, 2006 | 26,500,000 |
Other breaches at US Department of Veterans Affairs
| Breach | Affected | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Former auditor's home computer held 1.8 million VA Social Security numbersNov 16, 200718 years agoInsiderUnverified | Nov 16, 200718 years ago | Insider | Government | Unverified | 185K |
History of this record
- 2026-09-25 · added · seed source
First seen 2026-09-25 (Research). Record counts are as reported. Not legal advice.