The personal information of 26.5 million U.S. veterans, basically every living veteran who served and has been discharged since 1976, was stolen from the home of a Veteran's Affairs employee earlier this month. The data, including names, birth dates and Social Security numbers, was reportedly downloaded from a secure Web site by the employee, who took it home on disks without permission in order to work on a department project. The unidentified data analyst has been placed on administrative leave pending a review.

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is in the process of notifying members of Congress and the individual veterans about the burglary, and has also set up a Web site and call center (1-800-FED-INFO) where veterans can report any suspicions that their information has been misused and get up-to-date news and information. Medical records and financial information were not included in the stolen data, and there have been no reports of suspicious use of the data. Authorities believe it is unlikely the perpetrators targeted the items because of any knowledge of the data contents and may remain unaware of the information which they posses or of how to make use of it. However, the VA has launched a full-scale investigation and are taking all possible steps to protect and inform affected veterans. If you believe your personal information may be affected by this theft, please be extra vigilant for signs of identity theft and take steps to monitor your credit.