Reporting fraud, waste, and/or misuse of resources

Any employee suspecting, fraud, waste or misuse involving Department of Education funds or programs should call or write the Inspector General’s Hotline (choose the method of contact which best suits you):

·        Send an email message to oig.hotline@ed.gov

·        Call the OIG Hotline’s toll free number 1-800-MIS-USED. The Hotline’s operating hours are Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 9:00 AM until 11:00 Am, Eastern Time, Tuesday and Thursday, 1:00 PM until 3:00 PM, Eastern Time except for holidays.

·        Complete and submit a Complaint Form

·        To ensure complete anonymity, download a hard copy of the special complaint form, complete and mail to:

Inspector General’s Hotline

Office of Inspector General

U.S. Department of Education

400 Maryland Avenue, SW

Washington, DC 20202-1500

Your report may be made anonymously or in the confidence. For more information about Identity Theft or to report Identity Theft that does not involve federal education funds, visit the Federal Trade Commission’s Identity Theft Page or the White Collar Crime Center.

ARRA Whistleblower Protection

Under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (AARA), an employee of any non-Federal employer, such as a state company or a state or local government, who reports gross management, gross waste, substantial and specific danger to public health safety, misuse of authority, or violation of law, rule, or regulation, relating to ARRA funds or contracts, may not be discharged, demoted or otherwise discriminated against because of his or her disclosure. This Act provides protection from reprisal only to non-Federal employee who report waste, fraud or misuse connected to the use of ARRA funds.

Under ARRA, the Department of Education Office of Inspector General (ED/OIG has jurisdiction to investigate whistleblower complaints alleging reprisal for protected disclosures related to Department of Education AARA funds. To file a complaint please complete the ARRA Whistleblower Complaint Form which can be downloaded from the above More Resources box. Once you complete the form you have the option of sending it to the Hotline electronically, faxing or mailing. The appropriate addresses are posted on this website.

Important: If you submit the form/complaint electronically, please make sure you include the ARRA Whistleblower claim in the subject line of the e-mail.

Individuals wishing to report such activities may also contact the nearest OIG office at the following locations:

City/State                                                                   Telephone No.

Boston, MA                                                                 (617) 289-0174

New York, NY                                                             (646) 428-3861

Philadelphia, PA                                                        (215) 656-6900

Atlanta,  GA                                                          (404) 974-9430

Chicago, IL                                                                (312) 730-1630

Dallas, TX                                                                  (214) 661-9530

Denver, CO                                                                (303) 844-0058

Kansas City, MO                                                        (816) 268-0530

Vero Beach, CA                                                       (562) 980-4141

San Juan, PR                                                            (787) 766-6278

Washington, DC                                                        (202) 245-6911