Ga. Division of Aging Services Confirms Data Breach

Georgia’s Department of Human Services Division of Aging Services said it has notified about 3,000 clients in the Community Care Services Program of an unauthorized disclosure of their protected health information.

Department of Human Services officials said that the department has identified the root cause of the issue and resolved it.

According to officials, it involved the inadvertent disclosure of certain health diagnoses of affected program participants through an email to a contracted provider.

The department said that no other personal information, such as social security numbers, Medicaid numbers, dates of birth, or contact information, was disclosed.

The Community Care Services Program, or CCSP, is a state program that helps people at risk of nursing home placement to remain in their communities.

CCSP is managed by the Department of Human Services Division of Aging Services in partnership with Georgia’s 12 Area Agencies on Aging.

Affected clients have been notified of the breach in accordance with federal policy.

To protect against future disclosure of protected health information, the Department said it has installed additional safeguards in Division of Aging Services programs and adds that all Department staff will undergo additional training on privacy standards.

State Human Services Commissioner Robyn A. Crittenden said that while they are confident that this data breach was limited in nature and resolved almost immediately, they are obligated to ensure that their clients and the public can trust the integrity of their programs, adding that they take client privacy very seriously, and it is important that the public is fully aware of this situation and aware of their efforts to prevent such an event in the future.

Individuals with questions or concerns about the data breach can contact the agency by calling 1-844-MYGADHS, or 1-844-694-2347, and selecting option 4.