On October 12 , 2012 , an employee of the Office of the Medicaid Inspector General ( OMIG ) is suspected of having made a personal decision , without agency involvement or authorization from OMIG leadership or his or her personal supervisors , to send 17,743 records of Medicaid recipients to his or her own personal e - mail account . This employee conducted this action without the collaboration of other OMIG staff . The private information which may have been exposed includes , but may not be limited to , first and last name , date of birth , Medicaid client information number , and Social Security number . The employee is on administrative leave while a full , independent investigation is being conducted by the New York State Inspector Generals office . OMIG is cooperating fully with this investigation . OMIG expects all employees to act in a professional , ethical manner while in the workplace , and will not tolerate behavior that leads to the release of confidential information , said Medicaid Inspector General James C. Cox . OMIG followed all processes and procedures necessary following such a breach , including notifying each individual whose information was potentially compromised . OMIG sent each person a letter containing instructions on how to monitor his or her credit , as well as ways in which to ensure that what was inappropriately sent to the employees home computer not translate into identity problems for the individuals involved . Since this incident occurred , OMIG has devised tighter controls in its information technology department to limit access to data , ensuring that only those investigators and auditors who need data for specific investigatory or auditing purposes can retrieve such information . Under this enhanced approach , the employee would not have had access to the information included in this breach . OMIG has also retrained all agency employees on data security , using a nationally accredited program . OMIG has recommended that the individuals involved place an alert on their credit reports by contacting the three major credit reporting agencies ( Equifax , Experian , and TransUnion ) . These agencies will provide free credit monitoring services for one year . OMIG has also set up a toll - free number for individuals to contact if they have questions about this situation : 1 - 855 - 809 - 7205 . OMIG has a dedicated e - mail for people to use as well : security@omig.ny.gov . ;