Published
August 15, 2026
Updated
October 20, 2026
People notified that their information was involved in the August 2022 cyberattack on Tift Regional Health System and Southwell may qualify to claim an estimated $75 in cash, or up to $5,000 in documented losses, from the Tift Regional data breach class action settlement. Claims closed October 15, 2026, and the court granted final approval on September 24, 2026.
Current Status
The claim deadline was October 15, 2026, for both online claims and postmarked mailed claim forms. The Superior Court for Tift County, Georgia granted final approval of the settlement in a Final Approval Order and Judgment signed and filed September 24, 2026. No payment date had been announced on the official settlement website as of October 20, 2026.
Status
Claims Closed
Final approval granted September 24, 2026
Claim Deadline
October 15, 2026
Online submissions and mailed postmarks both due that day
Estimated Payout
~$75 · or up to $5,000
$1.2M fund · estimated $75 pro rata Alternative Cash Payment, or documented out-of-pocket losses up to $5,000 · plus 2 years of CyEx Medical Shield Complete monitoring with $1M in medical identity theft insurance
Proof Required
Yes
The online claim portal requires the Login ID and PIN printed on your notice · receipts, statements, or similar records also needed for the documented-loss tier
What Changed Recently?
On September 24, 2026, Judge Ralph Powell of the Tift County Superior Court signed a Final Approval Order and Judgment approving the settlement. The order recites that the final approval hearing took place on September 17, 2026 — not the September 14 date in the Notice — and that no class members objected or opted out. It awarded class counsel $360,000 in attorneys' fees plus $47,495.51 in litigation expenses, and service awards of $2,500 for each class representative, all paid from the fund as the Settlement Agreement provides.Earlier, the court authorized notice to the class and opened the claim process for the settlement of In re Tift Regional Health System, Inc. Data Breach Litigation, Case No. 2023CV0313, in the Superior Court for Tift County, Georgia. Under the agreement, Tift Regional Health System, Inc. and Southwell, Inc. establish a $1,200,000 settlement fund, and class members could file for cash and monitoring benefits through the settlement administrator, Simpluris, until October 15, 2026.
Tift denies that it did anything wrong, and the court has not decided who is right. The parties state that they agreed to settle to avoid the cost, risk, and delay of continued litigation.
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Who Qualifies?
The court defined the class as all individuals residing in the United States whose private information may have been compromised or otherwise impacted in the data security incident, including everyone who received notice of the breach. In practice, if Tift or Southwell sent you a breach notice about the August 2022 incident, you are a class member.Excluded from the class are the judge or judges presiding over the litigation and their immediate family and staff; Tift and its officers, directors, related companies, successors, predecessors, and any entity in which Tift has a controlling interest; anyone who validly excludes themselves from the settlement; and the successors or assigns of any excluded person.
The underlying incident was a targeted cyberattack on Tift's computer systems in August 2022. According to the Notice, files that were accessed may have contained names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, and medical information. Tift began notifying affected individuals in August 2023; the incident was reported to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as affecting roughly 180,142 people. We covered the notification at the time in our Tift Regional Health System data breach investigation.
How Much Can You Get?
The $1.2 million fund first pays court-approved attorneys' fees and costs, service awards, and administration expenses. What remains funds the class benefits below. Every class member is eligible for the monitoring benefit and for one of the two cash options — you choose between the cash tiers, but you do not have to give up monitoring to take cash.- Medical identity monitoring — two years of CyEx Medical Shield Complete, which includes $1 million in medical identity theft insurance and monitors for healthcare insurance ID exposure, Medical Record Number (MRN) exposure, and unauthorized Health Savings Account spending, with access to a fraud resolution agent.
- Documented Loss Payment — reimbursement of up to $5,000 for actual, documented out-of-pocket losses traceable to the incident and incurred between August 11, 2022 and October 15, 2026. Covered examples in the Notice include losses from identity theft or fraud, fees for credit reports, credit monitoring, or credit freezes and unfreezes, the cost of replacing IDs, and postage to contact banks by mail. Expenses already reimbursed by a third party cannot be claimed.
- Alternative Cash Payment — instead of the documented-loss tier, a one-time pro rata payment estimated at $75. This figure is an estimate, not a guarantee: whatever is left in the fund after all other expenses and benefits is divided equally among everyone who claims it, so the final amount depends on how many valid claims are filed.
One discrepancy is worth knowing before you file. The long-form Notice authorized by the court and the FAQ page on the official settlement website both cap documented losses at $5,000. A summary paragraph on the settlement website's home page states $4,500 instead. The Settlement Agreement and the court-approved Notice control, and the FAQ matches them, so we report $5,000 here — but check the figure on the claim form itself before relying on either number.
What Proof or Notice ID Is Required?
Proof is required. To start an online claim you must log in with the Login ID and PIN printed on the notice that was mailed or emailed to you. That administrator-issued credential gates the online filing path, which makes this a proof-required settlement even for the Alternative Cash Payment, which itself needs no loss documentation.If you claim the Documented Loss Payment, you must also submit supporting records — bank statements, receipts, or similar third-party documents showing what you spent or lost. Self-prepared notes or written explanations may be submitted to support or explain other proof, but the Notice states that such materials alone are not enough to make a valid claim, and your documentation should connect the expense to the data security incident.
If you cannot locate your Login ID and PIN, request them through the contact page on the official settlement website, providing your full name and mailing address. A printable claim form is also posted on the settlement website and can be completed and mailed with your supporting documentation.
What Is the Deadline?
The claim deadline was October 15, 2026, for online claims and for mailed claim forms, which had to be signed and postmarked by that date. The claim deadline has passed.The deadlines to request exclusion and to file an objection were both September 15, 2026, and have also passed.
How Do You Take Action?
Claims were filed through the official Tift Data Settlement website, where the online claim form opened only with the Login ID and PIN from the notice. Claimants chose either the Documented Loss Payment or the Alternative Cash Payment and could elect two years of medical identity monitoring. The claim deadline has passed, and the website remains the source for payment updates.A paper claim form was also available on the same website for filing by mail.
What Happens Next?
The court granted final approval in a Final Approval Order and Judgment signed and filed September 24, 2026, after a final approval hearing the order dates to September 17, 2026. The order awarded class counsel $360,000 in attorneys' fees plus $47,495.51 in litigation expenses, and service awards of $2,500 for each class representative, all paid from the fund.Settlement payments are distributed only after the settlement becomes effective and any appeals are resolved. No payment date had been announced as of October 20, 2026. We will update this page when a payment schedule is posted.
Another Georgia hospital system is running a similar two-tier settlement on a later schedule: the Wayne Memorial Hospital data breach settlement pays an estimated $25 with no documentation, or up to $5,000 for documented losses, with claims open through December 7, 2026.
Sources and Verification
• Official settlement website — Tift Data Settlement• Notice of Proposed Class Action Settlement (long-form notice)
• Settlement Agreement
• Printable Claim Form
• Official settlement FAQs
• U.S. Department of Health and Human Services — Breach Portal
Questions
Can I take both the cash payment and the credit monitoring?
Yes. The two years of CyEx Medical Shield Complete monitoring is offered to every class member and is separate from the cash options. The two cash tiers are the ones you must choose between: you may claim either the Documented Loss Payment or the Alternative Cash Payment, not both.
Why does the settlement website list a $4,500 documented-loss cap when the Notice says $5,000?
The long-form Notice authorized by the court and the FAQ page on the official settlement website both state a $5,000 cap on documented out-of-pocket losses. A summary paragraph on the settlement website's home page states $4,500. The Settlement Agreement and the court-approved Notice control, so class members should confirm the figure on the claim form itself before relying on either number.
What if I never received a notice or lost my Login ID and PIN?
The online claim portal requires a Login ID and PIN printed on the notice that was mailed or emailed to class members. If you cannot locate yours, request it through the contact page on the official settlement website, providing your full name and mailing address. A printable claim form is also available on the settlement website and can be submitted by mail.
Why is the final approval hearing before the claim deadline?
The court set the final approval hearing ahead of the October 15, 2026 claim deadline; the two dates were set independently, and claims filed after the hearing were still timely if submitted or postmarked by October 15, 2026. The court entered its Final Approval Order and Judgment on September 24, 2026. Payments are distributed only after the settlement becomes effective and any appeals are resolved.
How is the $75 Alternative Cash Payment calculated?
It is a pro rata share, not a fixed amount. After attorneys' fees, costs, service awards, administration expenses, and the other settlement benefits are paid from the $1.2 million fund, the remaining money is divided equally among everyone who claims the Alternative Cash Payment. The Notice estimates roughly $75, but the actual figure depends on how many valid claims are filed.
Official Settlement Notice
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Settlement Amount
$1,200,000
Case Title
In re Tift Regional Health System, Inc. Data Breach Litigation
Case Number
2023CV0313
Court
Superior Court for Tift County, Georgia
Final Approval Hearing
Final approval granted September 24, 2026
Hearing held September 17, 2026, per the Final Approval Order · Tift County Superior Court
Administrator
Simpluris
Official Website
Tift Data Settlement.com
