Skip to main content
Abbreviation
ED
Agencies
Department of Education
Federal Agency
Yes
Location

United States

What to Report to the OIG Hotline
Violations of Federal laws, rules, and regulations pertaining to U.S. Department of Education programs and funding, including complaints involving U.S. Department of Education employees, recipients of Department of Education funds, schools, school officials, other educational institutions, contractors, lending institutions, collections agencies, or public officials. This includes, but not limited to: • Embezzlement, bribery, or other public corruption involving U.S. Department of Education funds • Serious mismanagement involving U.S. Department of Education programs or funds • Theft or misuse of Federal student aid • Knowledge of fraud, waste, or abuse involving a financial aid administrator or other school official(s) • Knowledge of fraud, waste, or abuse involving a student loan servicer or collection agency • Knowledge that your school is not complying with regulations or laws involving Federal student aid or other U.S. Department of Education program or operation • Whistleblower reprisal (if you are a U.S. Department of Education employee, also report reprisal to the Office of Special Counsel) • Conflicts of interest • Contract and procurement irregularities • Theft or abuse of government property • U.S. Department of Education employee misconduct • Ethics violations by U.S. Department of Education officials • Unauthorized access to U.S. Department of Education Information Technology systems or Information Technology systems that involves administration or disbursement of U.S. Department of Education funds.
What Not to Report to the OIG Hotline
If your complaint or allegation does not involve fraud, waste, theft, mismanagement, public corruption, or abuse involving U.S. Department of Education programs or funds, you may need to contact another U.S. Department of Education office or Federal or State agency for assistance. If your complaint or allegation falls under one of the categories below, please contact the agency or organization listed for assistance. If you have been unable to solve a problem that is not a result of theft or fraud involving your Federal student loan: • Please contact the FSA Ombudsman’s Office at 1-877-557-2575 (TDD - 1-800-848-0983) or https://studentaid.ed.gov/repay-loans/disputes/prepare/contact-ombudsman. The FSA Ombudsman’s Office is a neutral, informal, and confidential resource to help resolve disputes about your Federal student loans. If you have an issue with your private student loan, or another private financial product or service: • Please contact the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau at 1-800-411-2372 or http://www.consumerfinance.gov/complaint/#student-loan. You can submit a complaint about private student loans, which are often issued by a bank, a credit union, your school, or another lending institution. If you believe an improper accounting error occurred on your student loan involving a collection agency or loan service center, or if you disagree with your loan servicer about the balance or status of your student loan: • Please contact the FSA Ombudsman’s Office at 1-877-557-2575 (TDD - 1-800-848-0983) or https://studentaid.ed.gov/repay-loans/disputes/prepare/contact-ombudsman If you require technical assistance regarding your student loan, mediation between your loan servicing center, or problems receiving student loan documents from your loan servicer, disability forms, or loan cancellation: • Please contact the FSA Ombudsman’s Office at 1-877-557-2575 (TDD - 1-800-848-0983) or https://studentaid.ed.gov/repay-loans/disputes/prepare/contact-ombudsman If the Internal Revenue Service has or will offset income tax returns, or if you believe that there has been an improper garnishment of your wages for the repayment of student loans: • Please contact the Office of Debt Collection Services at 1-800-621-3115 (or 1-202-377-3373 or 1-202-377-3374), or find more on what you can do if you defaulted on your student loan repayment here: https://myeddebt.ed.gov/borrower/contactusSubLinks If your school closed or your loan was cancelled as a result of a school closure: • Please contact the FSA Ombudsman’s Office at 1-877-557-2575 (TDD-1-800-8480983) or https://studentaid.ed.gov/repay-loans/disputes/prepare/contact-ombudsman If you have questions concerning the quality of education you received while attending a college, university, or trade school: • Please contact your local Better Business Bureau, the school’s accrediting agency, the State licensing agency, or the State Board of Higher Education. If your complaint involves a Head Start Program: • Please contact the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) OIG at 1-800-424-9121 or https://oig.hhs.gov/ If your complaint involves a school lunch program: • Please contact the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) OIG at http://www.usda.gov/oig/ If your complaint involves discrimination on the basis of race, gender, ethnicity, religion, or sexual preference: • Please contact the U.S. Department of Education Office of Civil Rights – 1-800-421-3481 or http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/complaintprocess.html If you are a U.S. Department of Education employee and your complaint involves discrimination on the basis of race, gender, ethnicity, religion or sexual preference: • Please contact the U.S. Department of Education Equal Employment Opportunity Service Office - 1-800-872-5327 or https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/om/fs_po/om/eeo.html If your complaint involves a scholarship scam—someone calling to offer you a scholarship and requesting your bank or credit card account number for a processing fee—do not share any information and immediately • Contact the Federal Trade Commission - 1-877-FTC-HELP or http://www.ftc.gov/scholarshipscams

U.S. Attorney McAllister Announces Kansas Covid-19 Fraud Task Force

U.S. Attorney McAllister Announces Kansas Covid-19 Fraud Task Force
Article Type
Investigative Press Release
Publish Date

U.S. Attorney McAllister Announces Kansas Covid-19 Fraud Task Force KANSAS CITY, KAN. – U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister today announced the formation of the Kansas Covid Fraud Task Force. Task force members from federal and state agencies will work together to investigate and prosecute scammers,,,

U.S. Attorney Nicholas Trutanich And Attorney General Aaron Ford Form Nevada COVID-19 Task Force

U.S. Attorney Nicholas Trutanich And Attorney General Aaron Ford Form Nevada COVID-19 Task Force
Article Type
Investigative Press Release
Publish Date

U.S. Attorney Nicholas Trutanich And Attorney General Aaron Ford Form Nevada COVID-19 Task Force LAS VEGAS, Nev. – Today, U.S. Attorney Nicholas A. Trutanich and Nevada Attorney General Aaron D. Ford announced the formation of the Nevada COVID-19 Task Force. The Task Force is comprised of local,,,

Former Edd Employee Sentenced To Over Six Years Imprisonment For Unemployment Benefits Fraud

Former Edd Employee Sentenced To Over Six Years Imprisonment For Unemployment Benefits Fraud
Article Type
Investigative Press Release
Publish Date

Former Edd Employee Sentenced To Over Six Years Imprisonment For Unemployment Benefits Fraud SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Pamela Emanuel, 58, of San Jose, was sentenced yesterday by United States District Judge Morrison C. England, Jr. to 6 years and 3 months in prison and ordered to pay $773,733 in,,,

Special Allowance Payments to Sallie Mae’s Subsidiary, Nellie Mae, for Loans Funded by Tax-Exempt Obligations

2009
A03I0006
Audit
Department of Education OIG
Department of Education

We found that SLMA’s billing for its NLMA subsidiary for SAP under the 9.5 percent floor, complied with the TTPA and HERA. However, SLMA’s billing for NLMA did not comply with other requirements for the 9.5 percent floor calculation. Specifically, SLMA continued to bill loans under the 9.5 percent...

Technical Career Institutes, Inc.’s Administration of the Federal Pell Grant and Federal Family Education Loan Programs

2008
A02H0007
Audit
Department of Education OIG
Department of Education

We determined that TCI met requirements in the HEA and regulations for institutional (excluding the 90/10 rule), program, and student eligibility and for award calculations. However, our review disclosed that (1) TCI improperly paid $440,487 to FFEL lenders to pay off its students’ loans and prevent...

University of Illinois at Chicago's (UIC) Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) project

2004
A05D0017
Audit
Department of Education OIG
Department of Education

Our audit disclosed that mc did not comply with the terms of its agreement with the U.S. Department of Education. UIC failed to show that its GEAR UP project provided services to 1,130 participants from its cohort during each of the first three years of the grant (September 1, 1999, through August...

Risk Assessment of the Department’s Grant Closeout Process

2020
S19U0002
Review
Department of Education OIG
Department of Education

Our objective was to perform the required risk assessment to determine whether an audit or review of the Department’s grant closeout process was warranted. We assessed the risk of the Department’s grant closeout process as moderate and determined that an audit or review is warranted. Specifically...

Texas Education Agency’s Administration of the Temporary Emergency Impact Aid for Displaced Students Program

2020
A02T0001
Audit
Department of Education OIG
Department of Education

We determined that Texas’s system of internal control over displaced student count data did not ensure that the data provided to the Department were accurate and complete because it did not always prevent or detect inaccurate displaced student counts reported by LEAs. The displaced student count...

Federal Student Aid’s Oversight of the Heightened Cash Monitoring Payment Methods

2020
A03Q0006
Audit
Department of Education OIG
Department of Education

FSA consistently administered its heightened cash monitoring payment methods for schools that FSA placed on heightened cash monitoring for the top five reasons, and the documentation generally supported FSA’s placement of the schools on heightened cash monitoring. In our review of supporting...

Subscribe to Department of Education OIG