Under the current Republican led administration the VA over the past 2 years upgraded their system. Hired techs and all kind of stuff. Even issued us new ID cards so we dont have to give out our SS# out loud,just swipe & go. Well

Hacker gets personal information from one TRICARE server Friday, April 28, 2006 By Dottie Wikan, WVEC.com Someone hacked into one of TRICARE Management Activity's public servers, the Department of Defense announced Friday. It was discovered during routine monitoring and an investigation determined "that an intrusion had occurred and information was compromised," putting some people at risk for identity theft. The Department of Defense didn't say how many files were compromised and where possible victims were located. Officials said information in the accessed files varies and investigators don't know the intent of the crime or if any of the information will be misused. TRICARE is the military's health system. Those at risk will receive a letter from TRICARE Management Activity advising them of the situation and giving them information they need to understand the potential risks and precautions they can take to protect their identities. The Defense Criminal Investigative Service is participating in the investigation. William Winkenwerder Jr., the assistant secretary of defense for health affairs, said, “ We immediately implemented enhanced security controls throughout the network and installed additional monitoring tools to improve security of existing networks and data files. Such incidents are reprehensible, and we deeply regret the inconvenience this may cause the people we serve.”

http://www.wvec.com/news/topstories/stories/wvec_military_042806_tricare_compromised.7de54970.html