A House subcommittee on Wednesday passed a bill to ensure vets are quickly notified when their personal information is breached.
The Veterans Data Breach Timely Notification Act, , H.R. 3730, requires the Veterans Affairs Department to notify Congress and vets within 10 business days of their personal information being breached. VA could request a five-day extension if more time is needed to identify affected individuals or mitigate a breach.
VA contractors that handle vets’ personal information would be held to the same standards under the bill.
“In the unfortunate event of a breach of sensitive information, veterans and their families should be notified as soon as practically possible,” Rep. Joe Donnelly, D-Ind., ranking member of the House Veterans Affairs Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, said in a statement.
“Current law, however, gives the VA a full thirty days to notify veterans that their personal information may have been compromised. That is too long.”
