The FWMEP data breach settlement pays a one-time $40 to class members who file with no receipts, no explanation and no notice ID — but that $40 is taken in place of everything else, including the two years of credit or medical monitoring the settlement otherwise provides. It covers people whose information was potentially exposed in the December 2024 cyberattack on Fort Wayne Medical Education Program, and claims close October 27, 2026.
Status: Claims open; final approval hearing December 7, 2026 | Claim deadline October 27, 2026 | Opt out or object by October 27, 2026 | $40 with no documentation, or monitoring plus up to $5,500 documented
No Receipts and No Notice ID Needed for the $40
The settlement agreement says the $40 alternative cash payment requires no documentation and no explanation, and the administrator’s only check on such a claim is whether the filer is a class member.
A notice credential is not required either. The online claim form on the official settlement website normally opens with the LoginID and PIN printed on the mailed notice, but the same login page links a separate form for people filing without them, and the printable claim form asks for the Login ID only “if known.” Someone who never got a notice, or threw it away, can still file.
Filing without an ID does not widen the class. Membership turns on appearing on the settlement class list FWMEP generated from its own records — the same list that decided who was mailed a notice.
What the $40 Replaces
In most data breach settlements the monitoring usually survives a choice of flat cash. Here it does not. The agreement offers the $40 in lieu of ordinary out-of-pocket losses, extraordinary out-of-pocket losses, lost time, credit monitoring and medical monitoring, and the claim form tells filers not to select it if they are claiming any other benefit.
| Path A — $40 cash | One-time payment. No documentation, no explanation. Nothing else can be claimed alongside it. |
| Path B — monitoring plus reimbursement | Two years of credit or medical monitoring, plus documented losses and lost time. Every item on this path stacks. |
Claiming the monitoring requires only checking its box on the claim form, so a class member with no losses to document can take the monitoring instead of the $40. The trade is $40 in cash against two years of monitoring that carries $1 million of insurance.
The Monitoring and the Caps on Path B
FWMEP split the class into two groups on the list it gave the administrator, so claimants do not have to sort themselves. Group 1, whose Social Security numbers may have been compromised, can claim two years of CyEx Financial Shield Complete, which the notice says includes $1 million in financial fraud insurance. Group 2, whose private information was involved but not a Social Security number, can claim two years of CyEx Medical Shield Complete, with $1 million in medical identity theft insurance and monitoring for exposed healthcare insurance IDs and Medical Record Numbers. On top of the monitoring, Path B can reimburse:
| Ordinary out-of-pocket losses | Up to $500, documented — for example credit report fees, credit freeze fees, replacing IDs, or postage to contact banks. |
| Lost time | Up to four hours at $20 an hour, a maximum of $80. It counts inside the $500 ordinary cap, so a full lost-time claim leaves $420 for ordinary losses. |
| Extraordinary losses | Up to $5,000, documented, for identity theft or fraud, under its own separate cap. |
That puts the ceiling for a documented claim at $5,500, with the monitoring on top. Receipts or similar records must show the amount and tie the expense to the data incident; handwritten receipts cannot stand alone. An extraordinary-loss claim must also show the fraud was more likely than not caused by the incident and that the filer tried to avoid or recover the loss. Lost time needs no receipts, only a short written description of each task and how long it took. The administrator can ask for more information, allowing 21 days to respond, and a documented claim that falls short can be converted to the $40.
Who Is in the Class
The court defined the class as everyone whose private information was potentially compromised in the incident and who is on the settlement class list. The definition has no state-residency requirement and no patient requirement, so the class is not limited to Indiana. FWMEP and its affiliates, the judge and court staff, and anyone found criminally guilty of initiating or aiding the cyberattack are excluded.
The Breach and the Case
The lawsuit alleges that during a targeted cyberattack on FWMEP’s computer systems in December 2024, files containing private information were accessed, and that those files may have held personally identifiable information and protected health information. The consolidated complaint, filed November 19, 2025, asserted negligence, negligence per se, breach of implied contract, unjust enrichment and invasion of privacy.
The case is In re Fort Wayne Medical Education Program Data Incident Litigation, Cause No. 02D02-2510-CE-000038, in Allen Superior Court 2, Indiana Commercial Court. The parties reached an agreement in principle at a mediation on April 14, 2026, and the settlement agreement was filed July 23, 2026. FWMEP denies all wrongdoing and liability. The settlement remains proposed until the court grants final approval.
Dates That Matter
| October 27, 2026 | Claim deadline. Online claims must be submitted and mailed forms postmarked by this date; the official sources give no timezone. |
| October 27, 2026 | Deadline to opt out (postmarked) or to object (filed with the Clerk of the Court, with copies to the administrator, class counsel and defense counsel). |
| December 12, 2024 – October 27, 2026 | Window in which reimbursable out-of-pocket losses must have been incurred. |
| December 7, 2026, 10:00 a.m. Eastern | Final approval hearing, Room 316, Superior Court for Allen County, Indiana. The date and time can change without further notice. |
All three deadlines land on one day because the agreement sets each at 60 days from the notice date. An opt-out request covers only the person who signs it.
Filing and Getting Paid
Claims go through the official settlement website, FWMEPDataSettlement.com, run by the administrator, Simpluris. Use the LoginID-and-PIN form, the linked form for filers without them, or the printable form. Cash can be paid by PayPal, Venmo, Zelle, virtual prepaid card or paper check. Nothing is automatic: a class member who files no claim receives no benefit, monitoring included.
No total fund is stated and no pro rata reduction is described. FWMEP pays the class benefits and, separately, administration costs, attorneys’ fees and costs of up to $475,000, and service awards of up to $2,500 for each class representative, subject to court approval. Payments and monitoring codes go out within 30 days of the effective date or of a claim’s approval, whichever is later; no payment date has been announced. Checks are void 60 days after issue. The full case record is on the FWMEP settlement page on OpenClassActions.com.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need receipts or a notice ID to get the $40?
No. The $40 alternative cash payment requires no documentation and no explanation. The official website links a claim form that can be filed without the LoginID and PIN from the notice, and the printable form asks for the Login ID only if known. You must still be on the settlement class list.
If I take the $40, do I still get credit or medical monitoring?
No. The settlement agreement offers the $40 in place of every other benefit, including credit monitoring and medical monitoring.
What is the most a documented claim can pay?
$5,500. Ordinary losses and lost time share a $500 cap, and extraordinary losses from identity theft or fraud have a separate $5,000 cap. The two years of monitoring come on top.
When is the deadline to file?
October 27, 2026. Online claims must be submitted and mailed forms postmarked by that date. The opt-out and objection deadlines are the same day.
When will payments go out?
No date has been announced. Payments follow final approval and any appeals; the final approval hearing is December 7, 2026.
Sources
- Official settlement website, claim forms, FAQ and documents — FWMEPDataSettlement.com, administered by Simpluris.
- Class Action Settlement Agreement and Release, claim form and Notice of Proposed Class Action Settlement in In re Fort Wayne Medical Education Program Data Incident Litigation, Cause No. 02D02-2510-CE-000038, Allen Superior Court 2, Indiana Commercial Court.
- OpenClassActions.com — Fort Wayne Medical Education Program Data Breach Settlement.
Source and credit: the settlement terms, deadlines and benefit details described above are drawn from our sister site’s reporting — OpenClassActions.com: Fort Wayne Medical Education Program Data Breach Settlement — $40 or Up to $5,500 — which tracks this case against the court-approved notice and the official settlement website and is updated as the court rules.
Legal Disclaimer
This article is for informational purposes only and is not legal advice. OpenClassActions.org is a consumer news site, not a law firm and not the settlement administrator, and is not affiliated with any party to the case described. The allegations are allegations; unless a court has ruled, the defendants deny wrongdoing and no court has decided the merits. Deadlines, benefit amounts and payment timing can change as the court and the administrator act, so confirm current status on the official settlement website. You never need to pay anyone to file a claim or to receive a settlement payment.