Subscribe to E-mail Updates
|
|
About the OIG
Quick Links | |||
The Office of Inspector General serves the American Worker and Taxpayer by conducting audits, investigations, and evaluations that result in improvements in the effectiveness, efficiency, and economy of Departmental programs and operations. We detect and prevent fraud and abuse in DOL programs and labor racketeering in the American workplace. We provide advice to the Secretary and the Congress on how to attain the highest possible program performance.
Our vision is to be a world-class organization that is sought after:
Background of the Office of Inspector General
The OIG was established at the Department of Labor (DOL) by the Inspector General Act of 1978. The Congress created independent OIGs in response to a series of government scandals that had occurred over the preceding decade. Congress believed that by establishing independent Inspectors General within each major Federal agency taxpayers’ funds could be more prudently used and accurately accounted for; the government would be better equipped to prevent and detect fraud, waste, and abuse; and the public’s confidence in their government would be enhanced. For more information on Inspectors General in Federal government, please visit the website of the Council of Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency.
Functions and Responsibilities of the OIG
The OIG conducts audits and evaluations to review the effectiveness, efficiency, economy, and integrity of all DOL programs and operations, including those performed by its contractors and grantees. They are conducted in order to determine whether: the programs and operations are in compliance with the applicable laws and regulations; DOL resources are efficiently and economically being utilized; and DOL programs achieve their intended results.
In addition, the OIG at the U.S. Department of Labor:
The Inspector General’s Independence
The Inspector General:
The OIG develops its strategic work plan through consultations with its customers, stakeholders and others including DOL program management, Congressional committees, U.S. Attorneys, the Government Accountability Office, and other government entities. In addition, the Secretary and the Congress may request the OIG to perform an audit, evaluation, or investigation.
For its audits, the OIG prioritizes the potential areas, and – based on a risk assessment that considers program dollar size, vulnerability to abuse, potential impact on the public, and prior audit and investigative history – develops a comprehensive, coordinated strategy to address those high-priority areas. After consideration of the availability of OIG staff resources and any planned initiatives of other government entities, the OIG develops its annual work plan of initiatives, and then shares it with DOL management.
Program fraud investigations typically result from allegations or suspicions of wrongdoing involving DOL programs, operations or personnel. They may also be the result of broad initiatives arising out of prior OIG activities, or as part of broad interagency initiatives, normally in consultation with the appropriate U.S. Attorneys.
Labor racketeering investigations give highest priority to traditional organized crime domination of labor unions and/or employee benefit plans. Priority is also given to organized crime influence or manipulation of labor unions and/or employee benefit plans, and cases where the perpetrators are not members of traditional organized crime, but can be considered (either by criminal background or the nature of the activity) to be professional criminals who have used a position of trust or control for criminal purposes.
How the OIG Reports on its Work
Typically, OIG staff advises DOL management and/or the auditee of findings as they are developed during the course of an audit or evaluation. Before issuing a report, an exit conference is held to communicate the results to appropriate program or agency management and to obtain their comments. This management input is important to ensure that audit or evaluation results are fairly presented, recommendations are reasonable and feasible, and any errors or misrepresentations are corrected. Following the exit conference, a draft report is issued to the appropriate assistant secretary, with a request that management provide written comments on the facts, conclusions, and each recommendation presented in the report – normally within 30 days. At the end of the response period, the OIG issues its final report.
Recommendations are considered resolved when managers and the auditors or evaluators agree on the required corrective actions. After the agreed-upon corrective actions have been completed, the recommendations are considered closed. When recommendations cannot be resolved because of disagreement between the management officials and the OIG, the matter may be referred to the Deputy Secretary who serves as the DOL Audit Follow-up Official and ensures that disagreements between the OIG and the Agency are resolved.
Reports of OIG investigations are presented to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, or other appropriate prosecutive office, for consideration of criminal and/or civil actions. The OIG also may issue an Investigative Memorandum to agency management when investigative findings may warrant an administrative action or when systemic weaknesses or vulnerabilities are identified in agency programs or operations.
The OIG also keeps the Secretary and Congress informed in a number of other ways. These include meetings and briefings; the Top Management Challenges, which is included in the Department’s Annual Report; Congressional testimony; the IG’s Semiannual Report to the Congress (which the Secretary transmits to the Vice President and the Speaker of the House within 30 days of its receipt); and a special seven-day report for notifying the Secretary and the Congress of any particularly serious or flagrant problems requiring immediate attention.