A reward of as much as $25,000 was announced today in the case of a portable computer hard drive missing from the Birmingham Veterans Administration Medical Center.



The FBI and the Department of Veterans Affairs is seeking information and/or the return of the hard drive that contained personal information on at least a half-million people.



Criminal and administrative investigations were launched Jan. 23. The hard drive was reported missing from the VA's office in the Pickwick Convention Center by an employee in medical research who had used it to back up records, VA officials have said.



The reward is also being offered for the identification of anyone responsible for the loss of the Iomega external hard drive.



Anyone with information is asked to call the VA Medical Center at 933-8101, ext. 4401; the FBI at 326-6166; the VA OIG hot line at 1-800-488-8244; or the VA Medical Center Police at 933-8101, ext. 6444.

Carol Robinson