Seminara: DSS audit disappointing; data privacy protection must be a top priority

For Immediate Release

Sen. Lisa Seminara, Ranking Senator on the Human Services Committee, today expressed concerns regarding a state audit of the Department of Social Services which found that DSS did not report $1.8 million in Medicaid revenue losses for noncompliance with electronic visit verification requirements. Additionally, the department did not report two data breaches of client protected health information to state auditors.

“With the prevalence of hacks and cybersecurity threats these days, it is disappointing to learn that the agency did not report multiple data breaches of highly sensitive information to state auditors as the law requires. In addition, not reporting nearly $2 million in lost revenue was a preventable error. As the state auditors note, the department should have filed a loss report, explained the circumstance, and described a corrective action plan. Every taxpayer dollar is precious, and data privacy protection must be a top priority for the agency going forward.”