Credit Offer for Veterans Questioned
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.
WASHINGTON – A federal judge temporarily has barred the government from publicizing its free credit monitoring offer to veterans whose personal data were stolen and wants to see if they might get a better federal offer.
Lawyers who have filed a class-action lawsuit on behalf of the 26.5 million veterans and active-duty troops affected contend that accepting the government’s offer could jeopardize their chance of winning more money in the privacy suit.
U.S. District Judge William Bertelsman in Kentucky scheduled a hearing this Friday to determine whether the Veterans Affairs Department should revise its offer. His order on the credit monitoring was issued late last Friday.
The suit seeks free monitoring and other credit protection for an indefinite period as well as $1,000 in damages for each person – or up to $26.5 billion total – in what has become one of the nation’s largest information security breaches.
