Defense Department contractor SAIC Inc. (Science Applications International
Corporation) may have compromised personal TRICARE beneficiary data for more than half a million service members as well as their families because it did not encrypt data transmitted online. SAIC said July 20 it had not found any evidence that the personal information had been accessed by unauthorized people. SAIC said the unencrypted information sent online concerned 580,000 military households on an unsecured server in Shalimar, Fla. (The server is no longer in use.) SAIC has established a website for further information at http://www.saic.com/response/.

Two Vet Groups Sue VA
A 73-page lawsuit was filed July 23 in federal court in San Francisco charging the Department of Veterans Affairs with "shameful failures" in providing medical and mental treatment to service members injured in Iraq and Afghanistan. The suit cites the VA's "unconscionable" backlog of 600,000 disability claims, and the long delays before veterans are seen for post- traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other mental health problems. Early identification is essential for PTSD treatment, declares the suit. The plaintiff organizations are Veterans for Common Sense, in Washington, D.C., and Veterans United for Truth, in Santa Barbara. The plaintiffs' lawyers say they are not seeking monetary damages, but want to establish a class- action to create basic civil rights for all veterans. Among the defendants are outgoing VA head R. James Nicholson and several other high-level VA officials, as well as Atty. Gen. Alberto R. Gonzales.

Senate Defense Bill Hits Logjam
Following an all-night Senate floor debate, the Senate voted against an amendment to its version of the fiscal 2008 Defense authorization bill that would have required withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq by next spring. Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., countered by setting aside further debate on the bill. The action apparently will delay the bill until after the August recess. Items in limbo include a 3.5 percent across-the-board pay raise (instead of the 3.0 percent the administration wants), expansion of Combat-Related Special Compensation to include service members who were medically retired with less than 20 years of service, reduction of the retirement date for reservists' pay based upon their mobilization times, and more than 300 floor amendments.

VA Health Care Dims for Priority 8's
Rep. Michael Michaud, D-Maine, chairman of the House Veterans' Affairs health subcommittee, says it could take up to two years to resolve whether all veterans in Priority 8 would be made eligible for care at VA medical facilities. He expressed support for the concept but said he wants to ensure that extending care to more patients wouldn't hurt the existing treatment of veterans with higher priorities. The VA's patient workload also could rise because of legislation approved by the House and pending in the Senate that would increase from two years to five the virtually automatic treatment in VA facilities for combat veterans. VA has promised to provide a report on costs of adding Priority 8 veterans to the patient workload.