Oconto County Commission on Aging’s Blog

On January 8, 2008 the Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services (DHFS) announced that EDS, the company that processes Medicaid claims for the state, mistakenly printed the Social Security numbers (SSN) of approximately 260,000 Medicaid recipients on newsletter address labels. The mistake affects Medicaid, BadgerCare, and SeniorCare recipients. EDS caught the mistake before sending a second mailing meaning not all recipients will be affected.

If you received a newsletter with your SSN printed on the address label EDS will send you a letter offering one year of free credit monitoring. The letter should explain how to sign up for this service. You may also call Medicaid Recipient Services at 1-800-362-3002 for more information. However, unusually high call volume has led to long wait times on the phone. DHFS is working to add more counselors to the hotline.

Future printing of Social Security numbers should be avoided since DHFS has announced it will transition to using a separate identification number instead of an individual’s Social Security number for public benefits recipients. If you have any further questions or concerns with the process, please contact your Benefit Specialist, Mary Tourtillott at 920-834-7707 or 800-649-6568.