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VA: Files Containing Personal Information Thrown In Trash

RAPID CITY, S.D. (AP) — Officials with the Department of Veterans Affairs in the Black Hills say they’re taking steps to notify veterans affected by an information breach after an employee accidently threw away personnel files on its Hot Springs campus.

The Rapid City Journal reports the VA says someone tossed a box containing files with personal information into a trash bin on May 15 during an office move. A different employee noticed the box in the trash two days later and VA police recovered them.

Spokeswoman Teresa Forbes tells the newspaper that the breach affects about 1,100 veterans.

Forbes says the VA is “very confident” that the personal information of veterans has not been misused. She says the information included veterans’ names, Social Security numbers, phone numbers and addresses.