Choose Cash Payment A if you can document up to $5,000 in losses traceable to the Central Maine Healthcare data incident. Choose Cash Payment B if you lack supporting records or prefer an estimated $50 pro rata payment with no documentation. Eligible claimants may also request one year of Medical Records Monitoring. Before deciding, compare your unreimbursed losses with the uncertainty of the alternate payment.
Table of Contents
- Who is covered by the settlement?
- Comparing the two cash choices
- What supports a documented-loss claim?
- Medical Records Monitoring is a separate option
- Deadline and payment timing
Who is covered by the settlement?
The proposed $1,368,025 settlement covers U.S. residents who received an individual notice stating that the incident may have affected their private information. Receiving a general alert or learning about the breach elsewhere does not establish eligibility.
Central Maine Healthcare reported that an unauthorized party accessed its IT environment from March 19 through June 1, 2025. Potentially accessed files included patient treatment and insurance information, while some contained social Security numbers, according to Central Maine Healthcare's incident notice. The settlement does not establish wrongdoing. Central Maine Healthcare and Central Maine Medical Center deny liability, and the court has not found that either defendant violated the law.
Comparing the two cash choices
Cash Payment A reimburses eligible, documented losses traceable to the incident, subject to a maximum of $5,000. The Settlement Administrator's long-form notice says claimants must provide reasonable supporting documentation.
Cash Payment B requires no documentation. Its estimated value is $50, but that amount is not guaranteed because each payment will be calculated as a pro rata share of the available settlement funds. A practical comparison looks like this:.
- Choose Payment A when you have supported, unreimbursed losses tied to the incident.
- Choose Payment B when you have no such losses, cannot reasonably document them, or value a simpler claim.
- Do not select Payment A merely because its cap is higher; the amount claimed must reflect an actual qualifying loss.
What supports a documented-loss claim?
Useful documentation should connect an expense or loss to the incident and show the amount paid or incurred. A claim is stronger when the records make both points clear rather than showing only a general concern about identity theft. Review receipts, account statements, invoices, correspondence, and other records related to the amount you claim.
Explain the connection where a document does not make it obvious. You cannot recover an expense that another source already reimbursed. If the administrator finds a documented-loss claim invalid and the claimant does not cure the missing proof, the settlement FAQ says it will be processed as an alternate-cash election.
Medical Records Monitoring is a separate option
An eligible claimant may request one year of free Medical Records Monitoring in addition to either cash choice. Selecting monitoring therefore does not require giving up Payment A or Payment B. However, monitoring costs come out of the settlement fund before cash distributions are calculated.
That deduction may affect the funds available for documented-loss and pro rata payments. Medical Records Monitoring addresses possible misuse involving medical information. It is distinct from a cash payment and should be evaluated as an additional benefit, not as a substitute for documenting an existing loss.
Deadline and payment timing
Claims must be submitted online or postmarked by September 28, 2026. The official settlement site lists the final-approval hearing for October 28, 2026.
Submitting a claim does not guarantee payment. No benefits can be distributed unless the court approves the settlement and the settlement becomes final.
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