Reporting Fraud, Waste, and Abuse

Purpose

To address allegations of fraud, waste, and abuse, including misuse of NIH grant and contract funds and improper conduct of an NIH employee (see definitions at right).

Procedure

Anybody may report allegations of fraud, waste, and abuse to the HHS Office of Inspector General (OIG). OIG will assess the allegation and, if necessary, refer it to NIH's Office of Management Assessment (OMA) for investigation and resolution.

NIAID staff do not assess, respond to, or investigate these allegations. If OIG or OMA need to follow up, they will contact the appropriate NIAID staff.

Any person reporting an allegation may choose to remain anonymous to the extent permitted by law. OIG, OMA, and others in the chain of command at NIH are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of the allegation’s source to the greatest extent permissible and practicable.

Everybody

• Report to OIG any evidence of fraud, waste, abuse, misuse of NIH grant and contract funds, or improper conduct by an NIH employee. Use one of the following methods:
  • Contact the OIG Hotline at 1-800-HHS-TIPS (1-800-447-8477).
  • Email OIG at Htips@os.dhhs.gov.
  • Complete a Report Fraud Form online.
  • Send a letter to:

  Office of Inspector General
  Department of Health and Human Services
  ATTN: HOTLINE
  P.O. Box 23489
  Washington, D.C. 20026

• Be prepared to provide a summary of the allegation and supporting documents.

NIAID Staff

• To report fraud, waste, abuse, misuse of NIH grant and contract funds, or improper conduct by an NIH employee, follow the instructions above.
• Whenever anybody reports an allegation to you:
  • Refer them to OIG.
  • Continue your normal course of business.
  • Do not take any of the following actions:
    • Attempt to investigate the allegation. This falls within the exclusive purview of OIG. 
    • Divulge any information about your conversation or any investigation, not even to your supervisor.
    • Express any opinions.
    • Request supporting documentation. 
    • Provide advice or guidance, other than the referral to OIG.
• If anybody other than OIG inquires about an allegation, regardless of the status of any investigation, refer them to NIAID's Office of Communications and Government Relations as follows:
  • For media inquiries, see Responding to Media Inquiries.
  • For Congressional inquiries, see Responding to Congressional Calls.
  • For any other outside source, e.g., general inquiries from the public, see Public Inquiries.

Contacts

HHS Office of Inspector General (OIG)

If you have knowledge to share or want more information on this topic, email deaweb@niaid.nih.gov with the title of this page or its URL and your question or comment. Thanks for helping us clarify and expand our knowledge base.

Links

Grants Policy Statement

• Section 2.3.10, Fraud, Waste and Abuse of NIH Grant Funds
• Section 4.1.29, Standards of Conduct

HHS's Report Fraud Hotline

NIH Policy Manual 1754—Reporting Allegations of Criminal Offenses, Misuse of NIH Grant and Contract Funds, or Improper Conduct by an NIH Employee

Allegations of Research Misconduct SOP