VA system hacked, some Texas veterans did not get deposits

Local vet gets answers about missing money
Seguin Gazette
Kati Waxler
February 25, 2018

Houston Area VA has also urged all veterans who suspect that they have been the victim of fraud to call the VA at 1-800-827-1000 or reach the VA OIG at 1-800-488-8244 or via email at vaoighotline@va.gov.

A veteran whose monthly disability checks were rerouted for two months without his knowledge has finally received answers, as well as his money.

“I found out that (the VA) system was hacked,” Santa Clara resident Phil Sierer said. “So somebody went in, removed my bank information and had my benefits routed to a virtual bank.”

Recently, the Seguin Gazette ran an article highlighting the issues that local veterans have had with their disability benefits. It was reported that several disabled veterans were unable to receive their benefits via direct deposit. Upon notifying Veterans Affairs, some residents were still left without answers.

Gary Elley, the public information officer for Disabled American Veterans (DAV), Chapter 61, said that “a number of veterans did not receive their VA disability compensation checks,” due to the theft.

Elley issued a press release, urging veterans to check their accounts and monitor where deposits were being sent.

When the Feb. 8 article was published, Sierer had no answers as to when he would get his missing benefits. At the time, there also was no response from the VA on the issue.
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