People sent notice that their private information was accessible in the November 2024 cyberattack on Mental Health Association, Inc. may qualify to claim a $40 cash payment, or instead up to $5,000 in documented losses plus $75 for lost time, from the MHA data breach class action settlement. Claims close November 19, 2026, and nothing is paid automatically — every benefit, including the three years of free credit monitoring, requires a claim form.
Current Status
Claims are open. The deadline to submit a Claim Form is November 19, 2026, online or by mail with a November 19, 2026 postmark; the notice gives a date without an official timezone, so only the date is published here. The final approval hearing is scheduled for December 15, 2026 at the Hampden County Superior Court in Springfield, Massachusetts, and the notice does not state a time. No final approval order has been entered and no payment date has been announced.Nothing here arrives on its own. The court-authorized notice states that the only way to receive benefits or payments is by submitting a valid and timely Claim Form, and that a class member who does nothing receives no benefit at all. That includes the three years of free credit monitoring, which several similar settlements hand out automatically but this one does not.
What Changed Recently
The claim process opened under a court-authorized notice program for Campbell et al. v. Mental Health Association, Inc., Case No. 2579CV00419, in the Superior Court of Hampden County, Massachusetts. Simpluris is administering the settlement, and identified class members were mailed a notice carrying the LoginID and PIN needed to file online.Mental Health Association, Inc. is a Springfield, Massachusetts nonprofit that has provided residential and support services in the Greater Springfield area since 1960 for people affected by mental illness, developmental disabilities, substance use and homelessness. The lawsuit alleges that during the November 2024 cyberattack on MHA's computer systems, certain files containing private information were accessible. MHA denies that it did anything wrong, and the court has not decided who is right. Both sides agreed to settle to avoid the costs and risks of a trial.
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Who Qualifies?
The court defined the class as all persons whose Private Information was accessible because of the data incident that occurred on or around November 28, 2024. The settlement website adds that class members are individuals residing in the United States. MHA's records identify who is covered, and the notice tells recipients directly that its records indicate they are a class member entitled to benefits — so if a notice arrived with a LoginID and PIN, that is the confirmation of eligibility.Three groups are excluded: the judge in the case along with the judge's family and staff; MHA and its officers and directors; and anyone who perpetrated the data incident. Some class members may also have received an earlier notice directly from MHA about the incident itself, separate from the settlement notice. Anyone unsure whether they are included can ask the settlement administrator through the contact page of the official settlement website.
How Much Can You Get?
The cash side of this settlement is an either/or choice, and the credit monitoring sits alongside whichever cash option is selected.Alternate Cash Payment — a one-time $40. The notice states plainly that no proof or explanation is needed to claim it. It is claimed instead of any other cash payment option, so choosing it forecloses the documented-loss and lost-time route.
Documented Out-of-Pocket Losses — up to $5,000 for actual, documented, unreimbursed losses caused by the data incident and incurred between November 28, 2024 and November 19, 2026. Covered expenses include losses from identity theft or fraud, fees for credit reports, credit monitoring or freezing and unfreezing credit, the cost of replacing identification documents, and postage to contact banks by mail. Proof such as bank statements or receipts is required; self-prepared notes can support other proof but are not enough on their own, and expenses already reimbursed by a third party do not qualify.
Lost Time — up to three hours at $25 per hour, for a maximum of $75, for time spent responding to the data incident on tasks such as changing passwords, investigating suspicious account activity, or researching the incident. A brief description of how the time was spent is required. Lost time is claimed with documented losses rather than with the $40 alternate payment, so the practical ceiling on the documented route is $5,075.
Credit Monitoring — three years of CyEx Identity Defense Complete at no cost, available to every class member. It includes $1 million in identity theft insurance, real-time credit file monitoring, dark web scanning, comprehensive public records monitoring, and access to a fraud resolution agent. There is no charge for the full three-year term. It still has to be claimed on the Claim Form.
One limit applies across the settlement: a $300,000 cap on these benefits. The notice states that if the total value of benefits claimed exceeds $300,000, all alternate cash payments will be reduced pro rata so the total stays within the cap — so the $40 figure is a ceiling rather than a guaranteed amount, and the reduction described falls on the alternate cash payments. Attorneys' fees and costs of up to $250,000, and service awards of $2,500 for each class representative, are separate: the notice says both are paid by or on behalf of MHA, not deducted from the benefits cap. All of those amounts are subject to court approval.
What Proof or Notice ID Is Required?
This settlement is proof-required, and the reason is the login gate rather than receipts. The settlement website states that to start the online claim form you must log in with the LoginID and PIN found on the notice that was sent to you. A class member who never received the notice, or who no longer has it, cannot open the online form without first asking the administrator to resend those credentials through the settlement website's contact options.The escape hatch is a paper one. A printable Claim Form can be downloaded from the settlement website and mailed to the settlement administrator with any supporting documentation, and it must be postmarked by November 19, 2026. That route does not close the gap for someone who wants to file online, which is why the facts strip above reads Yes rather than No.
On top of the login gate, the documentation each option requires differs. The $40 alternate cash payment needs no proof or explanation of loss. Documented out-of-pocket loss claims need reasonable supporting documentation such as bank statements or receipts. Lost time claims need a brief written description of the tasks performed. The credit monitoring needs no documentation, only a claim.
What Is the Deadline?
Online Claim Forms must be submitted by November 19, 2026. Mailed Claim Forms, including supporting documentation, must be postmarked no later than November 19, 2026. The notice gives these as dates without an official timezone, so no time of day is published here.Written objections must be filed with the Clerk of Court by November 19, 2026, with a copy sent to the settlement administrator. A valid written objection has to include the objector's full name, mailing address, telephone number and email address, the name and case number of the litigation, information proving class membership such as a notice that was received, a clear description of every reason for the objection along with any supporting documents, and a signature. A class member can also appear at the final approval hearing and object in person without filing anything in advance.
One thing the notice does not describe is an exclusion or opt-out procedure. The summary of legal rights lists three options — submit a claim, object or attend the hearing, or do nothing — and the notice states that a class member who does nothing receives no benefit and gives up the rights described in the Settlement Agreement. Anyone whose decision turns on the ability to opt out should read the Settlement Agreement, which is posted on the settlement website's documents page.
How Do You Take Action?
The fastest route is the online claim form at the official settlement website, MHADataSettlement.com. Log in with the LoginID and PIN from the mailed notice, choose either the $40 alternate cash payment or the documented-loss and lost-time route, add the credit monitoring if you want it, upload any supporting documents, and submit before November 19, 2026.To file on paper, download the printable Claim Form from the same website, complete and sign it, attach supporting documentation, and mail it to the settlement administrator so it is postmarked by November 19, 2026. A paper Claim Form can also be requested from the administrator through the settlement website. If you cannot find your LoginID and PIN, request them through the site's contact page with your full name and mailing address.
What Happens Next?
The next milestone is the final approval hearing on December 15, 2026 at the Hampden County Superior Court in Springfield, Massachusetts. At that hearing the court will decide whether to approve the settlement, how class counsel should be paid, whether to award the requested service awards, and whether to sustain any objections. The notice states that the date and time of the hearing may change without further notice, so the settlement website is the place to check for updates.If the court grants final approval, payments are distributed after any appeals are resolved. The notice says it is not known whether appeals will be filed or how long they would take. No payment date had been announced as of September 7, 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who qualifies for the Mental Health Association data breach settlement?
The court defined the class as all persons whose Private Information was accessible because of the data incident that occurred on or around November 28, 2024. Excluded are the judge in the case along with the judge's family and staff, MHA and its officers and directors, and anyone who perpetrated the incident. MHA's records identify who is a class member, and identified class members were sent a notice.
What can I get from the MHA data breach settlement?
Class members can claim a one-time $40 alternate cash payment with no proof or explanation, or instead documented out-of-pocket losses of up to $5,000 together with lost time of up to three hours at $25 per hour, capped at $75. Every class member can also claim three years of free credit monitoring through CyEx Identity Defense Complete, which includes $1 million in identity theft insurance.
Is any MHA settlement payment automatic?
No. The court-authorized notice states that the only way to receive benefits or payments from this settlement is by submitting a valid and timely Claim Form, and that a class member who does nothing receives no benefit. The credit monitoring is not automatic either. A Claim Form must be submitted online, or postmarked if mailed, by November 19, 2026.
Do I need proof to file an MHA settlement claim?
The $40 alternate cash payment needs no proof or explanation of loss, but starting the online claim form requires the LoginID and PIN printed on the notice that was mailed to you. A printable Claim Form can be downloaded from the settlement website and mailed instead. Documented out-of-pocket loss claims must include proof such as bank statements or receipts, and self-prepared notes alone are not enough. Lost time claims require a brief description of how the time was spent.
What is the deadline for the MHA data breach settlement?
Claim Forms must be submitted online by November 19, 2026, and mailed Claim Forms must be postmarked no later than November 19, 2026. Written objections must be filed with the Clerk of Court by the same date. The final approval hearing is scheduled for December 15, 2026 at the Hampden County Superior Court in Springfield, Massachusetts.
Is MHADataSettlement.com legit?
Yes. MHADataSettlement.com is the official, court-authorized settlement website for Campbell et al. v. Mental Health Association, Inc., Case No. 2579CV00419, pending in the Superior Court of Hampden County, Massachusetts, and administered by Simpluris. MHA denies that it did anything wrong, and the court has not decided who is right. File only through the official settlement website.
When will MHA settlement payments be sent?
No payment date has been announced. The notice states that settlement payments are distributed if the court grants final approval and after any appeals are resolved, and that it is not known whether appeals will be filed or how long they would take. The final approval hearing is set for December 15, 2026.
What information was involved in the Mental Health Association data breach?
According to the court-authorized notice, files that were accessible during the November 2024 cyberattack on MHA's computer systems may have contained names, addresses, Social Security numbers, medical diagnosis or condition information, medication information, medical record numbers, other medical information, dates of birth, and driver's license numbers.
Watch Out for Scams
A court-appointed settlement administrator never charges a fee to release a class action payment and never asks for banking passwords or a processing payment by text or phone. Filing is free through the official settlement website linked on this page, and that is the only place a claim should be submitted. Behavioral health records are among the most sensitive categories exposed in a breach, which makes follow-on phishing more convincing than usual.Western Massachusetts has seen several of these cases. The Gándara Mental Health Center data breach settlement covered another Springfield provider, and the Aspire Health Alliance data breach settlement covers a Massachusetts behavioral health provider with claims still open. To see how these cases work generally, read our explainer on the data breach class action, or browse the current roundup of open data breach settlements.
Sources and Verification
- Campbell et al. v. Mental Health Association, Inc. — Official Settlement Website
- Notice of Proposed Class Action Settlement, Campbell et al. v. Mental Health Association, Inc., Case No. 2579CV00419 (embedded below)
- Massachusetts Trial Court Case Access — Case No. 2579CV00419 (Hampden County Superior Court)
- Mental Health Association, Inc. — About MHA
