U.S. House bill would expand identity theft monitoring for OPM breach victims

A group of congressional lawmakers recently introduced a bill to provide lifetime credit and identity theft monitoring services to the over 21 million federal employees affected by cyber attacks on the U.S. Office of Personnel Management.

Introduced by Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) and several other representatives, the Reducing the Effects of the Cyberattack on OPM Victims Emergency Response Act of 2015 (RECOVER) would offer up to $5 million of identity theft protection to individuals who have had their personal information stolen. According to the bill’s sponsors, OPM has offered three years of monitoring services and $1 million in loss coverage for individuals whose background check records were compromised, and only 18 months of credit monitoring and $1 million in loss coverage to individuals whose personnel records were compromised.

“OPM’s announcement that at least 22 million people have been impacted by this breach is staggering.  Many live in my district and have called my office with significant concerns,” said Congressman Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.).  “I’ve already urged the agency to provide free credit monitoring to those impacted and their families, and what OPM has announced so far is totally inadequate.  This legislation will help the hardworking civil servants who have been affected cope with this breach, which could have potentially dangerous consequences for years to come.”

“The OPM data, which was not encrypted, was there for the taking despite the Inspector General’s warnings,” Norton, the lead sponsor, said in a statement on the bill.  “OPM’s offer of limited credit monitoring and identity theft protection coverage fails to recognize that the hackers could outwait the OPM’s proposed period of credit monitoring and very limited loss coverage.  Much of the OPM data is lifetime and permanent background information that cannot be changed like a credit card number.  We cannot make up for the angst this breach has caused our federal employees, but our bill shows we can and should do much better than OPM’s stingy proposal.”