Public Employee Press

Drug card firm to pay for identity theft

The administrator of the union’s prescription drug benefit will protect members from financial loss if their identity was stolen because a mailing mistakenly used their Social Security number on the envelope.

Plan participants who can prove such claims will be covered for their loss through an identity theft compensation fund established by Express Scripts Inc.

ESI will investigate claims and require participants to provide evidence to show that their Social Security number from the mailing was used for the rip-off scheme.

After the erroneous mailing went out in the fall, ESI representatives attended the Nov. 22 meeting of the DC 37 Delegates Council to apologize for the error and to explain why it occurred. Apparently, a tracking code on the address label mistakenly included the members’ Social Security numbers.

Several delegates voiced their anger over the possibility of identify theft and pointed out their members’ other problems with ESI’s services.

ESI recently wrote the tens and thousands of DC 37 members who are covered by the drug benefit to inform them about the financial protection.

“We have taken the necessary steps to correct this problem in our systems, and we regret this mistake,” said the letter.

Participants who believe they were a victim of identity theft because of the error may call ESI at 800-467-2006 to find out about the claims process.