The notice mailed to people affected by the August 2025 cyberattack on the Institute for Human Resources and Services carries the one thing every online claim needs: a LoginID and PIN. With those credentials, class members in the IHRS data breach settlement can claim a flat $45 without any receipts, or up to $2,000 in documented losses, and every claimant can add two years of CyEx Financial Shield Complete identity protection. Claims close December 2, 2026 — but the deadline to opt out or object comes a full month earlier.
Status: Claims open, final approval pending | Claim deadline December 2, 2026 | Opt out or object by November 2, 2026 | $45 flat or up to $2,000 documented, plus 2 years of monitoring
The Organization and the Attack
IHRS is a nonprofit in northeastern Pennsylvania that provides residential and adoption services for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and operates a foster care, adoption and family services agency. The lawsuit centers on a targeted cyberattack on its computer systems in August 2025.
According to the settlement materials, the files involved may have contained:
- Names and dates of birth
- Social Security numbers or ITINs
- Driver’s license or state ID numbers
- Medical record numbers
- Medical history, condition, treatment or diagnosis information
The plaintiffs allege IHRS failed to adequately protect that information. IHRS denies wrongdoing, and the court has not decided who is right; the parties settled to avoid the cost, risk and uncertainty of further litigation. The case is Tereska v. Institute for Human Resources and Services, Case No. 2026-02353, in the Court of Common Pleas of Luzerne County, Pennsylvania. This is the first claim window in the case, with Simpluris mailing notices and taking claims.
Who Belongs to the Class
The class covers all individuals within the United States whose private information was accessed in the data breach. The test is whether your information was in the affected files — not what your relationship to IHRS was.
In practice, receiving the mailed notice is the clearest sign you are a member, since that is where your LoginID and PIN are printed. People who opt out are excluded, as are the other categories listed in the settlement agreement; the full definition sits in the notice on the official settlement website.
What a Claim Is Worth
| Cash Payment A — up to $2,000 | Reimbursement of out-of-pocket losses caused by the breach and incurred between August 13, 2025 and December 2, 2026: identity theft or fraud losses, fees for credit reports, credit monitoring or credit freezes, the cost of replacing identification, and postage. Requires third-party documentation. |
| Cash Payment B — $45 | A flat payment. No documentation. Taken instead of Cash Payment A. |
| CyEx Financial Shield Complete — 2 years | Credit monitoring and identity protection including $1 million in identity theft insurance. Available to everyone who files, with either cash option. |
The monitoring is not automatic. You have to select it on the claim form, the same as the cash.
Fees Are Paid on Top, Not Out of Your Share
This is a claims-made settlement rather than a fixed fund divided among claimants. IHRS pays the benefits for each valid claim and, separately, the requested $120,000 in attorneys’ fees and expenses and a $1,500 service award, both subject to court approval. Those amounts do not reduce what class members receive.
Kopelowitz Ostrow, P.A. and Milberg, PLLC represent the class. Class members are not charged for that representation.
$45 or Documented Losses?
Cash Payment A only makes sense if you can show more than $45 in qualifying losses with records someone else produced — receipts, bank or card statements, invoices. Notes you write yourself can explain a claim but cannot support it alone. Without that kind of paperwork, Cash Payment B is the practical pick, and it still requires the LoginID and PIN to file online.
Two Deadlines, a Month Apart
| November 2, 2026 | Last day to opt out, which preserves your right to sue IHRS separately, or to object while staying in the class. The notice lists what each request must contain. |
| December 2, 2026 | Claim deadline — submitted online, or postmarked if mailed. The settlement materials give no time of day, so filing early is safer. |
| December 17, 2026, 9:30 a.m. ET | Final approval hearing, held by teleconference. |
Doing nothing leaves you in the class and bound by its release of breach-related claims, with no cash and no monitoring, because both require a claim form.
Filing Step by Step
- Find the notice mailed to you and locate the LoginID and PIN.
- Open the official IHRS settlement claim page and enter those credentials.
- Choose Cash Payment A or Cash Payment B.
- Select the CyEx Financial Shield Complete enrollment on the same form.
- For Cash Payment A, attach third-party documentation for each loss.
If you have lost the notice, use the contact page on the official settlement website to ask the administrator for help before the deadline, or ask about a paper claim form, which must be postmarked by December 2, 2026. The same site holds the notice and other court documents. OpenClassActions cannot look up your LoginID or confirm whether your data was involved.
Approval and Payment Timing
At the December 17 hearing the court will decide whether to approve the settlement, the $120,000 fee and expense request and the service award, and will hear timely objections. Class members do not have to take part. The date or format can change, so check the official site before relying on it.
Payments and monitoring activation come only after final approval and the resolution of any appeals. No payment date had been announced as of September 24, 2026, according to our sister site’s IHRS settlement coverage on OpenClassActions.com.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I take the $45 and claim documented losses?
No. Cash Payment A, documented losses up to $2,000, and Cash Payment B, a flat $45, are alternatives. The two years of CyEx Financial Shield Complete is separate and available to every class member who files.
Do I need the LoginID and PIN for the $45 option?
To file online, yes. The online claim form requires the LoginID and PIN printed on the mailed notice, even though the $45 option needs no receipts. If you lost them, contact the administrator through the official settlement website or ask about a paper claim form.
What losses qualify for Cash Payment A?
Out-of-pocket losses caused by the breach between August 13, 2025 and December 2, 2026, such as identity theft or fraud losses, fees for credit reports, monitoring or freezes, ID replacement costs and postage. Each needs third-party documentation like receipts, statements or invoices.
Will attorneys’ fees reduce my IHRS payment?
No. IHRS pays valid claims directly and pays the requested $120,000 in fees and expenses and the $1,500 service award separately, subject to court approval.
When is the last day to opt out of the IHRS settlement?
November 2, 2026. That is also the objection deadline. The claim deadline is later, December 2, 2026.
Sources
- Official settlement website, court-approved notice and claim form — InstituteHRDataSettlement.com, administered by Simpluris.
- Tereska v. Institute for Human Resources and Services, Case No. 2026-02353, Court of Common Pleas of Luzerne County, Pennsylvania.
- OpenClassActions.com — IHRS 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: IHRS Data Breach Settlement — $45 With No Documentation or Up to $2,000 — 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.