AUSTIN – The Texas Health and Human Services Commission is notifying recipients of agency services and other affected individuals that their protected health, personal identifying information or sensitive personal information may have been inappropriately accessed, used or disclosed.
On Nov. 21, 2024, HHSC learned the account information and personal identifying information of at least 61,000 individuals may have been improperly accessed by agency employees. HHSC took immediate steps to mitigate the breach by terminating the employees involved and referring the incident to the Texas Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (OIG) for investigation and coordination with prosecutor offices to pursue criminal charges.
HHSC recommends that affected individuals carefully review their accounts and health care provider, insurance company, and financial institution statements to make sure their account activity is correct. Report any questionable charges promptly to the provider or company and contact law enforcement.
HHSC advises Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients to check their Lone Star Card transactions for potential fraudulent activity at YourTexasBenefits.com or through the Your Texas Benefits mobile app. Recipients who believe they may have been a victim of SNAP fraud should call 2-1-1, select a language, and choose option 3 to report the fraud to the OIG. They should also contact law enforcement to report the fraud and visit a local HHSC benefits office to have their benefits replaced.
Source: HHSC Notifies Public Regarding Privacy Breach / HHSC Texas