Back in May 2006, an analyst who worked for the Department of Veterans Affairs took home a laptop that contained the personal information on 26.5 million veterans. That information included disability ratings, birth dates and Social Security numbers. Of course the laptop was stolen.

Various veterans groups filed a class-action lawsuit and asked for damages, among other things.

It took a couple years, but in 2009 the lawsuit was settled for $20 million. The plan was that veterans who suffered damages would be reimbursed for their expenses, including credit monitoring, with the balance of the money going to charities.

It looks like all the tallying is complete now, and two charities are getting a windfall.

The Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund and the Fisher House Foundation are going to share in the remaining $13 million.

Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund (www.fallenheroesfund. org) was started in 1982 to “provide financial support for the dependents of United States military personnel lost in performance of their duty.” The Fund also helped to build the worldclass catastrophic injury rehab center at Brooke Army Medical in Texas. Additionally, it is building the National Intrepid Center for Excellence in Bethesda, Maryland, another world-class facility, this one for Traumatic Brain Injury.

The other recipient of the lawsuit money, the Fisher House Foundation (www.fisherhouse.org), runs the 45 houses at VA medical centers that enable the families of wounded veterans to be present and live together as a family while the veteran is getting treatment. The families stay for free. So far more than 130,000 families have been helped.

The original data theft should never have been allowed to happen. But all in all, this donation of the lawsuit proceeds is not a bad outcome.

Write to Freddy Groves in care of King Features Weekly Service, P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475, or send e-mail to columnreply@ gmail.com.

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