BOSTON -- A home robbery in Maryland has become a monumental theft affecting about 26 million veterans.

NewsCenter 5's Jorge Quiroga reported that an employee of the Veterans Affairs took home computer disks to work on a project.

The disks contain the names, Social Security numbers and dates of birth of all living veterans who served and were discharged since 1976. The disks are among the items stolen from the home.

In a letter to veterans, the VA explained what information was on the disks.

"There is no reason for them right now to think that anything unsavory is going on. We have no evidence that any of this is being used or people who have it even know. It's a possibility," Veterans Affairs Secretary Jim Nicholson.

Officials believe that the burglars don't realize the value of the stolen data.

"We think that it wasn't a targeted burglary. They weren't after this," Nicholson said.

The warning said that the stolen data did not include health records or any financial information.

"Call and order your credit report. You also want to put a fraud alert on," Massachusetts Attorney General's Office spokeswoman Alice Moore said. "That will immediately flag for anybody trying to access your credit that there may be a problem with your account."