OIG Hotline

When you contact the Hotline to submit a concern or complaint, be prepared to provide specific details about the alleged violation of rule, law, or regulation, including:

• An accurate statement of facts believed to provide evidence of wrongdoing
• Dates when the suspected wrongdoing took place or is expected to occur
• Names, addresses, and office location of person(s) or company engaged in wrongdoing
• Description and location of the wrongdoing
• Identity of any other witnesses
• Contract/grant numbers or types of funds related to the allegation (i.e., TRIO, FSA, Title 1 funds)
• How you became aware of the improprieties
• Any supporting documentation

You are not required to provide your name or contact information when you file a complaint—however, if you do not provide this information, we may not be able to follow up with you and may not be able to pursue the concerns you raise in your complaint. 

Yes, you may file a complaint anonymously, meaning that you file the complaint but do not include your name. However, please know that an anonymous complaint means we cannot follow up with you and, therefore, we may not be able to address the issues you raise in your complaint.

Yes, you may file a complaint confidentially, meaning that you provide your name to the OIG, but you ask or expect that the OIG will not disclose your name outside of our office. Everyone filing a hotline complaint is granted confidentiality. This means the OIG will not disclose your name outside of our office UNLESS (a) you give us consent to disclose your name OR (b) the Inspector General determines that disclosure of your identity is unavoidable during the course of the OIG’s work on your complaint. 

No. Confidentiality is a set of policies that prevent the OIG from disclosing your identity outside of our office. Be advised of the following:

• Confidentiality applies only to your identity, not to the information provided (i.e., the OIG may, if necessary, share the facts and circumstances provided by you).
• Even if you ask for confidentiality when you initially file a complaint, you may later consent to the OIG disclosing your identity.
• The Inspector General may determine that disclosure of your identity is unavoidable while OIG is working on your complaint.
• Your identity may be disclosed to other OIG personnel, prosecutors, and law enforcement agencies or pursuant to court order or Congressional committee request.
• Your identity will be included in OIG files, memoranda, records, etc.
• The OIG cannot control whether other people you reported allegations or information to will protect your identity.
• Given the nature of the information you provide, other people, including coworkers, subordinates, supervisors, etc., may deduce or infer the OIG’s source of the information.

Information on filing a whistleblower retaliation complaint, as well as information on whistleblower protections can be found on the whistleblower protections page.

To be a lawful disclosure, disclosures involving classified information can be made only through secure channels and between individuals who are authorized to receive the disclosures. 

To submit a report with classified information, contact your nearest OIG investigative office stating that you have a compliant to file and it involves classified information. Do not submit a report with classified information via the online hotline portal. 

Unless you are contacted directly by one of our investigators or analysts, there will be no communication from our office. Federal regulations prohibit the disclosure of information contained in investigative and law enforcement records, even to the individual submitting the allegation(s).

Our office will not provide anyone outside of ED, to include the source of the complaint, with the status of action(s) taken on any allegation. This includes details pertaining to the processing of your complaint.  The information you provide will be handled according to our internal policies and guidelines, and appropriate action will be taken, as determined.

Experienced OIG professionals review all complaints received by the Hotline. Our staff will evaluate your complaint and may refer it for further OIG investigation, audit, or other review. If we know your identity (i.e., your complaint is not anonymous), an investigator may contact you for additional information.

The OIG unfortunately cannot investigate every complaint it receives. Therefore, not all reports filed with the OIG Hotline will result in an investigation, audit, or other review by the OIG. Cases are selected following a staff review, with priority given to matters having the most potential risk to students and student loan borrowers, ED programs and systems, or for which the OIG may be the only avenue of redress. The OIG may refer your complaint to another office within ED or to an external entity, as appropriate. The decision to pursue a complaint or allegation received by the OIG rests exclusively with the OIG.

All complaints submitted to the OIG Hotline are treated with high sensitivity. OIG Hotline complaints are official records covered by the Privacy Act (5 U.S.C. § 552a) and are subject to the Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. § 552). Personally identifiable information in complaints is generally withheld from disclosure to the public. According to the Privacy Act, complaints you submit may be shared with other entities if the OIG has an authorized purpose for sharing them. 

The OIG only has jurisdiction over ED funds and programs. If a concern or complaint that is submitted does not result in an investigation, that may be because it does not fall within the OIG’s purview or it may require administrative action by a different office in ED or referral to another agency. In these situations, the OIG will forward the concern or complaint to the appropriate ED office or other government agency. Please note that you will not receive a response on issues unrelated to ED OIG and the OIG will not have additional information regarding a complaint if it is referred to another office or agency.

The OIG cannot provide information regarding the actions taken on any allegation reported to our office, including case status, as Federal regulations prohibit the disclosure of information contained in law enforcement records even to the individual submitting the allegation. You may, however, request information about an investigation by filing a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request.