Texas Health and Human Services Commission reports internal data breach affecting 94K SNAP beneficiaries
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The Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) is reporting an internal data breach affecting at least 61,000 SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) beneficiaries.
The incident, which was discovered on November 21, 2024, occurred through improper access by agency employees over an extended period from June 2021 to December 2024. The scope of the breach may extend beyond SNAP recipients, as HHSC is still investigating potential impacts on other programs under its administration.
Exposed data inlcudes:
- Full names
- Home addresses
- Telephone numbers
- Dates of birth
- Email addresses
- Social Security numbers
- Medicaid and Medicare identification numbers
- Financial information
- Employment records
- Banking information
- Health data
- Health insurance information
- Certificate/license information
- Other personal information
HHSC has terminated the employees involved and reported the incident to the Texas Health and Human Services' Office of Inspector General for investigation and potential criminal prosecution. The agency is also strengthening its internal security controls and implementing additional fraud prevention measures, including enhanced monitoring and alerts to detect suspicious activity.
HHSC is notifying affected individuals via first-class mail, with notifications expected to be completed by January 20, 2025. HHSC is offering affected individuals two years of free credit monitoring and identity theft protection services, up to $1 million in identity theft insurance, Social Security number monitoring, dark web monitoring for stolen identities, and credit monitoring through Experian. The agency has established a dedicated assistance line (866-362-1773) operating Monday through Friday from 8 AM to 8 PM.
Update - as of 30th of April 2025, HHSC began notifying additional 33,529 recipients of state benefits whose data was also affected by the breach.
