Two additional employees of the Texas Health and Human Services Commission have been fired after accessing restricted data of Texans applying for certain programs. The latest firings come after several other employees were fired for a data breach at the agency late last year, The Texas Tribune reports.
“Health and Human Services Commission learned that some of their employees were accessing the private information of people seeking public assistance programs like Medicaid or food stamps,” said James Barragán, politics reporter for The Texas Tribune. “This impacts about 60,000 people who had applied or received assistance between June 2021 and December 2024.”
Investigations are ongoing, and it’s unclear what the impact has been on the accounts of Texans affected by the breach. It has also raised questions about oversight of employees working in public agencies in the era of remote work policies, with some lawmakers concerned that remote work has limited the public’s access to government services.
So far, no arrests have been made related to the breach.
“These two new firings bring the total to nine Health and Human Services employees who’ve been fired in this scandal,” Barragán said. “Some have been referred to local prosecutors for potential prosecution, and there’s still no price tag on the cost of this breach.”
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