Dept of Labor OIG

What is the Dept. of Labor OIG

The Department of Labor Office of the Inspector General (OIG) was created pursuant to the Inspector General Act of 1978 to provide oversight at preventing inefficient or unlawful operations fraud, mismanagement, waste, and abuse, within the Department.

DOL OIG conducts criminal, civil, and administrative investigations into alleged violations of federal laws relating to DOL programs, operations, and personnel.

In addition, the OIG conducts criminal investigations to combat the influence of labor racketeering and organized crime in the nation’s labor unions in three areas: employee benefit plans, labor-management relations, and internal union affairs.

What Does the DOL OIG Investigate

The Department of Labor OIG’s Office of Investigations conducts criminal, civil, and administrative investigations relating to fraudulent activity, fraud, waste, abuse, embezzlement,
and is responsible for investigating possible misconduct or criminal activities involving DOL employees or individuals providing services to the Department.

The DOL OIG Office of Workers’ Compensation (OWCP) Medical Provider Fraud investigates healthcare providers (doctors, clinics, pharmacists, physical therapists, etc.)
who fraudulently bill DOL, fraud associated with medical treatments, and unauthorized payments or kickbacks made to employers, providers, or claimants as well as  Unemployment Insurance (UI) Programs, Foreign Labor Certification (FLC) Programs, Contract and Grant Fraud, Employee Integrity, Labor Racketeering and Trafficking.

What is the authority of the DOL OIG?

Department of Labor OIG special agents have been granted Federal law enforcement authority pursuant to 5 U.S.C. App. 3 (IG Act) to conduct criminal investigations—including the authority to:

(A) carry a firearm while engaged in official duties as authorized under this Act or other statute;

(B) make an arrest without a warrant while engaged in official duties as authorized under this Act or other statute, or as expressly authorized by the Attorney General, for any offense against the United States.

(C) seek and execute warrants for arrest, a search of premises, or seizure of evidence issued under the authority of the United States upon probable cause to believe that a violation has been committed.