A custodial worker at the Iowa Department of Human Services threw paper files containing personal information of 4,784 people into a dumpster not realizing they should have been shredded, according to a Jan. 24 press release.
Officials discovered that the custodial worker mistakenly emptied boxes stored under employees' desks that contained documents that needed to be shredded. The custodial worker was not aware that the information in the boxes was confidential and couldn't be thrown into a dumpster.
Individual data that may have been exposed included names, mailing addresses, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, driver's license numbers, banking or wage information, disability information, medical information, Medicaid information, mental health information, provider information, substance abuse information, illegal drug use information and prescription drug information.
Since the incident, department officials have retrained employees about disposing confidential paperwork. There is no evidence that information has been misused.