People whose information was exposed in the October 2024 or April 2026 data incidents at Community Connections, a Washington, D.C. behavioral health provider, may qualify to claim $50, up to $100 for lost time, or up to $5,000 in documented losses from the Community Connections data breach class action settlement. Claims are open through October 6, 2026.
Current Status
Claims are open, and the deadline is October 6, 2026. The settlement agreement sets 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on that date for online claims, and mailed claim forms must be postmarked by the same date. The opt-out and objection deadlines passed on September 21, 2026. The court has not yet granted final approval; the final approval hearing is set for October 21, 2026, and no payments have been sent.Free settlement alerts
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What Changed Recently?
Community Connections, Inc. agreed to settle a class action over two separate data incidents. The first was a ransomware incident the company discovered on October 21, 2024; it sent notice letters to affected people around August 22, 2025. On April 4, 2026, a different threat actor carried out a second incident. The company found that files from the two incidents together held the private information of about 20,889 people.Class actions over the 2024 incident were first filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia starting September 3, 2025, and consolidated that November. After a mediation on April 29, 2026, the plaintiffs dismissed the federal case and refiled it in the Circuit Court of the 11th Judicial Circuit in and for Miami-Dade County, Florida, as Jefferson v. Community Connections, Inc., Case No. 2026-009556-CA-01, where the settlement is now pending. The plaintiffs allege the company failed to adequately protect the information. Community Connections denies all of the allegations and does not admit any wrongdoing or liability by settling.
Who Qualifies?
The settlement class is all individuals in the United States whose private information was impacted as a result of the 2024 or 2026 data incidents, including everyone who was sent a notice letter. Community Connections is a nonprofit behavioral health agency in Washington, D.C. that provides mental health, supportive housing and related services, and the complaint describes the people affected as its current and former patients and employees.The information involved, as defined in the settlement, includes full names, addresses, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, financial information, driver’s license or state ID information, medical information and health insurance information. Community Connections and its officers and directors, and the judges assigned to the case and their staff and immediate families, are excluded. People who opted out by September 21, 2026 are also out of the class.
How Much Can You Get?
Class members choose from three cash options, and every class member also gets a credit monitoring code:- Cash Payment A — Documented Losses: reimbursement of up to $5,000 for unreimbursed, out-of-pocket losses from fraud or identity theft that were more likely than not caused by the incidents and incurred after them.
- Cash Payment B — Lost Time: $25 an hour for up to four hours ($100) spent dealing with or researching the incidents. It can be combined with Cash Payment A.
- Cash Payment C — Alternative Cash Payment: $50, offered instead of A and B. These payments share a $250,000 aggregate cap and are reduced pro rata if claims exceed it.
- Credit monitoring: two years of CyEx Medical Shield Complete with one-bureau credit monitoring, sent as an enrollment code on the postcard notice. No claim is needed, but the code has to be activated.
Under the notice, a documented-loss claim that is rejected and not cured is treated as a claim for the $50 Alternative Cash Payment, as long as it was filed on time. There is no common fund: Community Connections pays valid claims, administration costs and any court-awarded attorneys’ fees and costs (Class Counsel are asking for $362,500) separately.
What Proof or Notice ID Is Required?
The online claim form asks for the CPT ID and Passcode printed on the notice sent to each class member, so this page marks proof as required. The $50 Alternative Cash Payment needs no other documentation. Lost time requires an attestation and a brief description of how the time was spent. Documented losses require third-party records such as receipts, invoices, or bank or credit card statements; personal certifications or declarations alone do not qualify.What Is the Deadline?
The claim deadline is October 6, 2026. Under the settlement agreement, an online claim must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on that date, and a mailed claim form must be postmarked by October 6, 2026. The paper claim form can be used for the lost-time and $50 options and for documented losses with attachments, but paper claims are paid by check; electronic payment options are available only through the online form.How Do You Take Action?
Claims are filed on the official Community Connections data incident settlement website, run by the settlement administrator, CPT Group, Inc. The claim form asks for the CPT ID and Passcode from the notice, contact details, the cash option chosen, any supporting documents for losses, and a signature under penalty of perjury. The official website explains how class members without their CPT ID or Passcode can request them.What Happens Next?
The court will hold the final approval hearing on October 21, 2026, at 1:30 p.m. If it approves the settlement and no appeals are pending, the settlement agreement calls for cash payments within 60 days of the Effective Date, by electronic payment or paper check. Checks that are not cashed within 120 days of issuance are void.Sources and Verification
This page is based on the official settlement website and its important-dates page, the court-approved long form notice, the claim form, the Class Action Settlement Agreement and Release, and the class action complaint filed May 11, 2026 in the Miami-Dade County Circuit Court.Questions
Who is in the Community Connections data breach settlement?
The class is everyone in the United States whose private information was impacted in the October 2024 or April 2026 data incidents at Community Connections, Inc., including everyone who was sent a notice letter. Community Connections’ officers and directors and the judges assigned to the case are excluded.
Can a class member claim both the $50 payment and documented losses?
No. The $50 Alternative Cash Payment is offered instead of the documented-loss and lost-time payments. A class member can combine documented losses of up to $5,000 with lost time of up to $100, or take the $50 payment on its own.
Is the credit monitoring automatic?
The enrollment code is automatic. Every class member is sent a code for two years of CyEx Medical Shield Complete with one-bureau credit monitoring on the postcard notice, without filing a claim. The code still has to be activated to start the service.
Will the $50 payment be reduced?
It can be. Alternative Cash Payments share a $250,000 aggregate cap. If valid claims for the $50 payment add up to more than that, each one is reduced pro rata. The documented-loss and lost-time payments are not subject to that cap.
When will payments be sent?
Under the settlement agreement, cash payments go out no later than 60 days after the Effective Date, which follows final approval and the end of any appeals. The final approval hearing is set for October 21, 2026. Paper checks must be cashed within 120 days of issuance.
