Letter to Inspector General of the Department of Veterans Affairs George Opfer
Letter to Inspector General of the Department of Veterans Affairs George Opfer
May 23, 2006
Honorable George Opfer
Inspector General
Department of Veterans Affairs
810 Vermont Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20420
Dear Mr. Opfer:
I write to express my deep concern and request an expedited investigation into the events and circumstances detailed in yesterday's announcement by the Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs, R. James Nicholson, regarding the recent theft of sensitive data affecting some 26.5 million veterans and dependents. In addition to conducting a general investigation in the professional manner in which you are charged, I have several specific requests regarding your investigation of this matter and ask that the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) report directly to my committee staff as your review of each specific requested item is complete.
Please review:
1. The parent data base and/or associated administrative file(s) from which the missing data were extracted to determine the download parameters, date of the download, authorization codes and other relevant information. Crosscheck this information with the information reported by the individual who reportedly had the data stolen and the subsequent series of statements issued by VA. Advise of any discrepancies noted.
2. Investigate the specific work project of the employee responsible for removing the stolen data. Was this a self-generated review or a directed review of some aspect of the data? If it were a directed review, by whom and detail supporting evidence.
3. Review VA adherence to statute, regulation, policies, procedures and training requirements with regard to handling sensitive information and note prior instances where discrepancies were noted by the VA OIG during the last 10 years. Also note successful corrective actions taken by VA to correct OIG reported discrepancies in this area.
Thank you for your anticipated cooperation on this very serious matter. Should your staff have any questions or concerns with this request please contact Mr. Len Sistek at (202) 225-9756.
Sincerely,
LANE EVANS
Ranking Democratic Member
http://veterans.house.gov/democratic/press/109th/5-23-06theft.htm