Before You Submit a Complaint

HHS-OIG’s Hotline reviews and investigates thousands of complaints each year. Before you begin, make sure you understand the type of complaints we address.

Complaints we investigate include:
  • Complaints from HHS employees, grantees or contractors about fraud, waste, abuse or mismanagement in HHS programs (whistleblower complaints),
  • Crime, gross misconduct, or conflicts of interest involving HHS employees, grantees or contractors,
  • Fraud, waste, or abuse relating to HHS grants or contracts,
  • False or fraudulent claims submitted to Medicare or Medicaid,
  • Kickbacks or inducements for referrals by Medicare or Medicaid providers,
  • Medical identity theft involving Medicare and/or Medicaid beneficiaries,
  • Failure of a hospital to evaluate and stabilize an emergency patient,
  • Abuse or neglect in nursing homes and other long-term-care facilities
  • Human Trafficking by HHS employees, contractors or grantees to include procuring a commercial sex act
Complaints not addressed through the OIG Hotline include:
Complaint Who to Contact
Issues about Medicare policy, coverage, billing claims or appeals

Lost or stolen Medicare card

 Medicare.gov
1-800-MEDICARE
Allegations by HHS employees of discrimination on the basis of race, gender, ethnicity, religion or sexual preference Your agency’s Equal Employment Opportunity officer
Allegations by employees or applicants concerning prohibited personnel practices; or Hatch Act violations U.S. Office of Special Counsel
Appeals of administrative decisions made by HHS agencies, grantees or contractors, including Medicare payment decisions and contract or grant awards Consult the guidelines for the particular program
Appeals of judicial decisions by federal or state courts involving HHS programs Please contact the court that issued the decision
Complaints of failure to safeguard medical information, i.e. HIPAA violations HHS Office for Civil Rights
Customer service complaints involving HHS employees, grantees or contractors Management of the relevant agency
Fraud relating to Social Security Social Security Administration OIG
Allegations of identity theft unrelated to HHS programs Federal Trade Commission
Disability fraud Social Security Administration OIG
SNAP/Food Stamp Fraud USDA OIG
Self-Disclosures Self-Disclosure information

What You Need for Your Complaint

Our investigations are most successful when you provide as much information as possible about the allegation and those involved. The more you tell us, the better chance we have of determining whether an investigation can be pursued. Before you begin, make sure you have the following information available:

  • Name and contact information of the individual or business related to your complaint. This includes, if available, addresses, telephone numbers, e-mail addresses, etc.
  • Narrative explaining the nature, scope, time frame and how you came to learn about the activity in question.
  • The name and contact information of any individual who can help corroborate the information you are reporting.
  • Supporting evidence in electronic format that can be uploaded with your report. This may include e-mail communications, documents, billing records or photographs.  Source

Please see the following links for more or updated information.