This is the best time for a cash award in my opinion.
Again, unless you can point to actual damages suffered from the breach the court will award you nothing.
I understood going in I would be limiting my chances to collect from a class action down the road.
Even in a class action lawsuit, the plaintiffs must be able to show the class members suffered an actual loss as a result of the breach. It may be too early yet to establish that.
Also If my identity is stolen down the line how do I prove it was from the breach and how do I put a dollar amount to it?
It just depends on what evidence you have available to you. You might not be able to prove that it was the result of the breach. But you would need to make that link to recover any money damages.
These cases are not as easy as the general public seems to think. Yes, the data breach was huge. And consumers have a right to be concerned about how their data may be misused. But until they can prove they suffered actual damages, i.e. had a financial loss, from it they cannot succeed in winning a money judgment against the company.