Veteran receives stranger's confidential information in extra VA letter

LELAND, NC (WECT) - A veteran said he received confidential information about a stranger after getting two letters from the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Brian Ellis said he was reading a letter addressed to him when he noticed two pages inside the envelope.

The letter included another veteran's social security number, name, address, income information, service dates and award amounts.

Ellis said someone could use that information to impersonate a veteran and affect their pending claims with the VA.

"It just worries me that if it happened like that to me, it could have happened to all the veterans worldwide and a lot of veterans could be facing this situation right now, sitting in their living rooms looking at another veteran's information just like I am right now," Ellis said.

Ellis said he called the VA about the incident and a representative told him a supervisor would call back with instructions on how to mail the other veteran's letter back.

Ellis said she said it was a minor mistake and could have been a "slip-up on their end."

"We put ourselves on the line when we are in service, and then when we come out it seems like we sometimes get swept under the rug," Ellis said. "Because when they're done with us, it just seems like they're like, 'okay we're done with you and that's it. We have no other use for you. Go over there and sit down somewhere.'"

WECT News has reached out to the VA for comment.