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Organization
The Department of Veterans Affairs is headed by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate. The current Secretary of Veterans Affairs is Ret. General Eric Shinseki.
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Rural Health Community Forum
Secretary Shinseki, along with HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack, and Labor Secretary Hilda Solis hosted a rural health community in St. John Parish, La. The Secretaries shared information about the federal government¡¯s efforts to rebuild and revitalize rural America. During the 90-minute community forum, the Secretaries listened to local residents¡¯ perspectives and discussed solutions to the challenges that face rural communities. This leg of the tour launched by President Obama, is showcasing how communities, states, and the federal government can work together to help strengthen rural America.
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Veterans seeking information about their rights under the proposed settlement of the court case involving the May 3, 2006, theft of computer equipment from the home of a former VA employee can visit www.VeteransClass.com for more information.
National Resource Directory
The National Resource Directory (NRD) is an online resource for wounded, ill and injured Service Members, Veterans, their families and those who support them. The NRD provides information on, and access to, medical and non¨Cmedical services and resources across the country which will help them reach their personal and professional goals as they successfully transition from recovery to community living. The NRD is an online partnership of the Department of Defense, Department of Labor and Department of Veterans Affairs, as well as numerous Veteran service and benefit organizations; non¨Cprofit community¨Cbased and faith¨Cbased organizations; academic institutions, professional associations and philanthropic organizations.
Security Breach
In May 2006, a laptop computer containing in the clear (unencrypted) the social security numbers of 26.5 million U.S. veterans was stolen from a Veterans Affairs analyst¡¯s home. The analyst violated existing VA policy by removing the data from his workplace.
On August 3, 2006, a computer containing personal information in the clear on up to 38,000 veterans went missing. The computers have since been recovered and on August 5, 2006, two men were charged with the theft. In early August 2006, a plan was announced to encrypt critical data on every laptop in the agency using disk encryption software.
Strict policies have also been enacted that require a detailed description of what a laptop will be used for and where it will be located at any given time. Encryption for e-mail had already been in use for some time but is now the renewed focus of internal security practices for sending e-mail containing patient information.
VeteransAffairs | Veterans.gov | VeteransAffairs.gov | VA.GOV | Veterans Affairs Offices | Veterans.com
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