§5724 — Title 38 Veterans' Benefits | U.S. Code

Summary

When sensitive personal information the Secretary keeps is leaked, the Secretary must have an independent risk review done as soon as possible by either a non-Department group or the Department’s Office of Inspector General. If that review finds a reasonable risk the information could be misused, the Secretary must give credit protection services under rules the Secretary sets. Within 180 days after the date of the enactment of the Veterans Benefits, Health Care, and Information Technology Act of 2006, the Secretary must issue interim rules for things like notification, data mining, fraud alerts, breach analysis, credit monitoring, identity-theft insurance, and credit protection. After each breach, the Secretary must quickly report the independent review results, the risk decision, and any services provided to the Senate and House Committees on Veterans’ Affairs. If the breached records belong to members or civilian employees of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, or Space Force, the Secretary must also send the report to the Senate and House Armed Services Committees.

Title 38, §5724

Veterans' Benefits — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)(1)In the event of a data breach with respect to sensitive personal information that is processed or maintained by the Secretary, the Secretary shall ensure that, as soon as possible after the data breach, a non-Department entity or the Office of Inspector General of the Department conducts an independent risk analysis of the data breach to determine the level of risk associated with the data breach for the potential misuse of any sensitive personal information involved in the data breach.

(2)If the Secretary determines, based on the findings of a risk analysis conducted under paragraph (1), that a reasonable risk exists for the potential misuse of sensitive personal information involved in a data breach, the Secretary shall provide credit protection services in accordance with the regulations prescribed by the Secretary under this section.

(b)Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of the Veterans Benefits, Health Care, and Information Technology Act of 2006, the Secretary shall prescribe interim regulations for the provision of the following in accordance with subsection (a)(2):

(1)Notification.

(2)Data mining.

(3)Fraud alerts.

(4)Data breach analysis.

(5)Credit monitoring.

(6)Identity theft insurance.

(7)Credit protection services.

(c)(1)For each data breach with respect to sensitive personal information processed or maintained by the Secretary, the Secretary shall promptly submit to the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate and House of Representatives a report containing the findings of any independent risk analysis conducted under subsection (a)(1), any determination of the Secretary under subsection (a)(2), and a description of any services provided pursuant to subsection (b).

(2)In the event of a data breach with respect to sensitive personal information processed or maintained by the Secretary that is the sensitive personal information of a member of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, or Space Force or a civilian officer or employee of the Department of Defense, the Secretary shall submit the report required under paragraph (1) to the Committee on Armed Services of the Senate and the Committee on Armed Services of the House of Representatives in addition to the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate and House of Representatives.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

The date of the enactment of the Veterans Benefits, Health Care, and Information Technology Act of 2006, referred to in subsec. (b), is the date of enactment of Pub. L. 109–461, which was approved Dec. 22, 2006.

Amendments

2021—Subsec. (c)(2). Pub. L. 116–283 substituted “Marine Corps, or Space Force” for “or Marine Corps”.

§5724 Provision of credit protection and other services