Having trouble getting through on Texas 2-1-1? Here’s what’s going on
The 2-1-1 Texas hotline has continues to experience technical difficulties Thursday, meaning many Texans trying to access information about food pantries, Medicaid health insurance or other assistance won’t be able to get through.
The hotline experienced a statewide outage last week after a cybersecurity breach was reported at Lumen, the vendor that provides the software that powers the hotline.
“The contact center solution that supports Texas’ 2-1-1 hotline was recently affected by our security event,” a spokesman for Lumen said in an email.
Currently, “basic” 2-1-1 service has been restored to the hotline, but the company is still working toward fully resolving the issue, according to Lumen.
A 2-1-1 operator in central Texas reported the system outage on March 22, meaning the hotline has been non-functioning or only partly functional for more than a week. Since then, the Texas Health and Human Services Commission, which operates the 2-1-1 program, has continued to post updates on social media and online saying that the hotline is experiencing technical difficulties. The commission said Thursday that the hotline is operational but technical difficulties remain.
It’s unclear when full service will be restored.
“2-1-1 is experiencing technical difficulties, and callers may be experiencing longer than normal wait times,” commission spokesman José Andrés Araiza said in an emailed statement. “HHSC is working with our contractor Lumen to resolve these issues as quickly as possible. Individuals may log onto YourTexasBenefits.com to check their benefits or visit a local HHSC office for assistance. Callers may also visit 211Texas.org for information about services in the community.”
This story was originally published March 29, 2023 at 5:00 PM.
