Data breach by Texas Health and Human Services employees

AUSTIN – Texas Public Radio reports that the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) announced on Friday that agency employees may have improperly accessed the data of 61,000 people. HHSC said it terminated those involved with the breach. The incident was also referred to the agency’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) for investigation to pursue criminal charges. Information inappropriately obtained or disclosed includes Social Security numbers, full names, home addresses, and Medicaid and Medicare Identification Numbers. HHSC recommends recipients of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to monitor their Lone Star Card transactions for any fraudulent activity.

Affected individuals should carefully review their accounts and report any questionable charges to a provider or company. The agency is still determining the impact of the breach on other programs. Anyone else impacted by the breach will be notified as HHSC conducts its review. “HHSC understands the impact this privacy breach may have and is committed to protecting the confidential information of those we serve,” the agency said in the release. The agency said it is strengthening internal security control and will implement additional fraud prevention measures. It will also offer two years of free credit monitoring and identity theft protections to those impacted.