Agency overview | |
---|---|
Formed | 1987 |
Headquarters | Harry S. Truman Building, Washington, D.C., United States |
Employees | 300 (as of 2015) |
Annual budget | $144 million (FY 2017) [1] |
Agency executive | |
Parent department | U.S. Department of State |
Website | stateoig.gov |
The Office of Inspector General for the Department of State (OIG) is an independent office within the U.S. Department of State with a primary responsibility to prevent and detect waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement. OIG inspects more than 270 embassies, diplomatic posts, and international broadcasting installations throughout the world to determine whether policy goals are being achieved and whether the interests of the United States are being represented and advanced effectively.
Additionally, OIG performs specialized security inspections and audits in support of the Department's mission to provide effective protection to the personnel, facilities, and sensitive information. OIG also audits operations and activities of the Department and the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM) to ensure that they are as effective, efficient, and economical as possible. Finally, OIG investigates instances of fraud, waste, and mismanagement that may constitute either criminal wrongdoing or violation of Department and USAGM regulations. [3] OIG is a member of the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency. [4]
The Inspector General Act of 1978 mandated many federal departments to create Offices of Inspector General. The Act imposed a requirement on inspectors general to report both to their agency heads and to Congress. The Inspector General of the Department of State was one of the last federal OIGs to be created. [5]
The Department of State established an internal inspection office in 1906 (S/IG) – however, this function transferred to the OIG under the Foreign Service Act of 1980. The Omnibus Diplomatic Security and Antiterrorism Act of 1986, section 4861, specifically directed "the Secretary of State to proceed immediately to establish an Office of Inspector General of the Department of State not later than October 1, 1986…" This section includes duties and responsibilities authorized, and limitations on the appointment of an inspector general.
The Office of Audits has a leading role in helping the U.S. Department of State and USAGM improve management; strengthen integrity and accountability; and ensure the most efficient, effective, and economical use of resources. Their activities are global in scope, supporting the highest priorities of the Department. They also provide oversight for the United States Section, International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC). [3]
The Office of Inspections provides the Secretary of State and Congress with systematic and independent evaluations of the operations of the Department, its posts abroad, and related activities. OIG schedules an inspection of each post and bureau within a 5-year cycle in accordance with the Foreign Service Act of 1980. [3]
The Office of Investigations is committed to addressing allegations in an independent and objective manner, conducting criminal, civil and administrative investigations affecting programs and operations, encouraging professional development, and assisting the Department and agencies in preventing, as well as detecting, fraud. [3]
The Office of General Counsel provides legal advice to the Inspector General, his senior staff, and others in OIG on the full range of activities within OIG, including inspections, investigations and audits. OGC is responsible for managing OIG's Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and Privacy Act programs. The Counsel to the Inspector General reports to the Inspector General, and is independent from the State Department's Legal Adviser and USAGM's General Counsel. [3]
The Office of Evaluations and Special Projects was established in 2014 to strengthen OIG's oversight of the Department and USAGM, and to improve OIG's capabilities to meet statutory requirements of the Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act of 2012. ESP will fulfill OIG's whistleblower protection duties by educating Department and USAGM employees and contractors on the protections from retaliation for disclosing fraud, waste, or abuse. [3]
The Congressional & Public Affairs team facilitates effective working relationships between the OIG and Congress and act as a liaison with Congress and the media to explain OIG initiatives and programs and to promote the activities of all OIG offices. [3]
The office of the Executive Director provides administrative support services to the Bureau of the Office of Inspector General. The Executive Office provides support services in the areas of Budget, Human Resources, Information Technology, Workforce Planning, Reports and Publications, and General Support Services (GSO). The office is headed by the Assistant Inspector General for Administration. [3]
The OIG's Hotline is a clearinghouse for receiving and handling allegations regarding fraud, waste, abuse, mismanagement or misconduct affecting Department of State and USAGM programs and operations. Examples of allegations that should be reported to the OIG Hotline include: false claims; contract fraud; computer crimes; bribes and gratuities; conflict of interest and ethics violations; significant mismanagement and waste of funds; theft from programs receiving federal funds; theft of government property; embezzlement of government funds; and standards of conduct violations. [6]
Throughout the tenure of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, there was no permanent inspector general at the State Department. Moreover, President Barack Obama did not nominate anyone for that position while Clinton was Secretary. [7] Although the office remained running under Harold W. Geisel—a State Department employee—the "Government Accountability Office, lawmakers from both parties and nonprofit groups" criticized the delay in identifying a nominee, and called for the position to be filled by an inspector independent of the State Department. [8]
In the United States, Office of Inspector General (OIG) is a generic term for the oversight division of a federal or state agency aimed at preventing inefficient or unlawful operations within their parent agency. Such offices are attached to many federal executive departments, independent federal agencies, as well as state and local governments. Each office includes an inspector general and employees charged with identifying, auditing, and investigating fraud, waste, abuse, embezzlement and mismanagement of any kind within the executive department.
The Office of the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction (SIGIR) was created as the successor to the Coalition Provisional Authority Office of Inspector General (CPA-IG). SIGIR was an independent government agency created by the Congress to provide oversight of the use of the $52 billion U.S. reconstruction program in Iraq. Stuart W. Bowen Jr. was appointed to the position of CPA-IG on January 20, 2004 and served until its closure in October 2013. Sand served until its closure in October 2013. SIGIR reported directly to Congress, the secretary of state, and the secretary of defense.
The United States Postal Service Office of Inspector General (OIG) was created by Public Law 104–208, passed by Congress in 1996. The inspector general of the United States Postal Service (USPS) is appointed by the presidentially appointed governors on the Board of Governors of the United States Postal Service and reports to them. The term of the inspector general is a maximum of seven years. To ensure accountability, the inspector general keeps Congress, the governors, and Postal Service management informed of the office's work and alerted to potential areas where the Postal Service could be more economical and efficient.
The Office of the Inspector General (OIG) for the Department of Justice (DOJ) is responsible for conducting nearly all of the investigations of DOJ employees and programs. The office has several hundred employees, reporting to the Inspector General. Michael E. Horowitz has held the post since 2012.
The Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General was established along with the Department of Homeland Security itself in 2002 by the Homeland Security Act. Its website describes its mission as "supervis[ing] independent audits, investigations, and inspections of the programs and operations of DHS, and recommends ways for DHS to carry out its responsibilities in the most effective, efficient, and economical manner possible."
The U.S.Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General is one of the Inspector General offices created by the Inspector General Act of 1978. The Inspector General for the Department of Transportation, like the Inspectors General of other federal departments and agencies, is charged with monitoring and auditing department programs to combat waste, fraud, and abuse.
The NASA Office of Inspector General is the inspector general office in the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the space agency of the United States. The OIG's stated mission is to "prevent and detect crime, fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement and promote efficiency, effectiveness, and economy throughout NASA."
The Department of Defense Office of Inspector General is an independent, objective agency that provides oversight related to the programs and operations of the United States Department of Defense (DoD). DoD IG was created in 1982 as an amendment to the Inspector General Act of 1978.
The Department of Defense Whistleblower Program in the United States is a whistleblower protection program within the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) whereby DoD personnel are trained on whistleblower rights. The Inspector General's commitment fulfills, in part, the federal mandate to protect whistleblowers. It also administers the Defense Intelligence Community Whistleblower Protection Program (DICWP), as a sub-mission for the intelligence community. The Inspector General's Defense Criminal Investigative Service also conducts criminal investigations which rely, in part, on Qui Tam relators.
The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) is an office in the United States Federal government. It was established in January 1999 in accordance with the Internal Revenue Service Restructuring and Reform Act of 1998 (RRA 98) to provide independent oversight of Internal Revenue Service (IRS) activities. As mandated by RRA 98, TIGTA assumed most of the responsibilities of the IRS' former Inspection Service.
The Office of Inspector General (OIG) for the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is responsible for oversight of the United States Department of Health and Human Service's approximately $2.4 trillion portfolio of programs. Approximately 1,650 auditors, investigators, and evaluators, supplemented by staff with expertise in law, technology, cybersecurity, data analytics, statistics, medicine, economics, health policy, and management and administration. Based on Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey scores, OIG has been ranked the best place to work in HHS for 5 consecutive years by the Partnership for Public Service.
Military Whistleblower Protection Act of 1988 (MWPA), as amended at title 10, United States Code, Section 1034, and elsewhere, is an American law providing protection of lawful disclosures of illegal activity by members of the United States Armed Forces.
The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) is the U.S. government's leading oversight authority on Afghanistan reconstruction. Congress created the Office of the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction to provide independent and objective oversight of the Afghanistan Reconstruction funds. Under the authority of Section 1229 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008, SIGAR seeks to conducts audit, inspections, and investigations to promote efficiency and effectiveness of reconstruction programs, and to detect and prevent waste, fraud, and abuse of taxpayer dollars. SIGAR also has a hotline that allows individuals to report suspected fraud.
The Defense Intelligence Community Whistleblower Program (DICWP) is a sub-mission of the United States Department of Defense Whistleblower Program. In administering the DICWP, the Office of the Inspector General, U.S. Department of Defense (DoDIG) balances the competing national security and separation of powers interests raised by whistleblowing within the Defense Intelligence Community.The DoDIG provides a safe, authorized conduit for Defense Department whistleblowers to disclose classified information. The Inspector General also has authority to investigate whistleblowing reprisal allegations filed by civilian and military members of the Defense Intelligence Community. It therefore accepts the disclosures and provides source protection for those providing the information. The Department of Defense funds and supervises much of the Republic's intelligence gathering. DoD IG accordingly provides protection to a large number of civilian and military intelligence personnel.
John Parsons was the Inspector General for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria from 2008 to November 2012. Under his leadership, the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) revealed that up to two-thirds of certain Global Fund grants may have been lost to corruption through forged documents, improper bookkeeping, the diversion of donated prescription drugs to the black market, and other irregularities. Two OIG reports identified losses of $10M, which was more than 50 percent of the total funds disbursed to the recipient governments and non-governmental organisations.
The Inspector General Act of 1978 is a United States federal law that created Inspectors General for federal agencies and provides broad authorities for overseeing programs, promoting efficiencies, and detecting fraud, waste, and mismanagement throughout the federal government.
The Office of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) Inspector General (OIG) is the Office of Inspector General specific to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) that is responsible for conducting monitoring and oversight of MTA activities, programs, and employees.
The U.S.Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General is one of the Inspector General offices created by the Inspector General Act of 1978. The Inspector General for the Department of Agriculture is charged with investigating and auditing department programs to combat waste, fraud, and abuse. A component of USDA-OIG, the Office of Investigations, conducts criminal investigations led by USDA-OIG Special Agents.
The U.S.Department of Education Office of Inspector General is an Inspector General office created by the Department of Education Organization Act. The Inspector General for the Department of Education is charged with investigating and auditing department programs to combat waste, fraud, and abuse.
The U.S.Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General is one of the Inspector General offices created by the Inspector General Act of 1978.