For Your Benefit
For and about Hawaii's military
|
VA offers credit monitoring to ID theft victims
Question: Because of the recent identity theft, is the Department of Veterans Affairs taking any further steps to help those veterans who might be a victim of this theft?
Answer: The VA will provide one year of free credit monitoring to people whose personal information may have been stolen. After the VA hires a credit-monitoring company, it will send a letter to people whose personal information may have been included in the stolen data. This letter, which will be sent out in August, will explain credit monitoring and how eligible people can enroll or "opt-in" for the services. The VA also will hire a company that provides data breach analysis, which will look for possible misuse of the stolen VA data. If you believe that you may be affected by the data theft, go to www.firstgov.gov for more information or call the toll free number: 1-800-FED INFO (1-800-333-4636). The call center is open from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. (EDT), Monday-Saturday.
Q: What if I am unable to pay the VA co-payments?
A: If there has been a significant decrease in your earned income from the previous year, your current projected income may be used on a case-by-case basis. To apply for a hardship determination, consult your enrollment coordinator at the VA Medical Clinic, 433-0600.
If you have questions about your benefits as a veteran, call Fred Ballard at the Veterans Affairs at 433-0049 or visit the VA Web site at
www.va.gov/hawaii or the Star-Bulletin at 529-4747.