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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

The U.S. Department of Education’s and Five State Educational Agencies’ Systems of Internal Control Over Statewide Test Results

2014
A07M0001
Audit
Department of Education OIG
Department of Education

Our audit found that the Department and the five SEAs reviewed had systems of internal control designed to prevent and detect inaccurate, unreliable, or incomplete Statewide test results; however, these systems did not always require corrective action if indicators of inaccurate, unreliable, or...

Title IV of the Higher Education Act Programs: Additional Safeguards Are Needed to Help Mitigate the Risks That Are Unique to the Distance Education Environment

2014
A07L0001
Audit
Department of Education OIG
Department of Education

Our audit found that additional safeguards and improvements were needed for the Department’s adaptation of Federal student aid (Title IV) requirements and guidance to mitigate the unique risks inherent in distance education and for the Department’s, accrediting agencies’, and State agencies’...

Office of Postsecondary Education Duplication of Effort with Discretionary Grants

2014
A06N0002
Audit
Department of Education OIG
Department of Education

Our audit sought to determine whether OPE’s internal controls were adequate for evaluating grantees for duplication of effort; whether the Talent Search, Upward Bound, and Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) programs resulted in duplication of services provided...

Handling of Borrower Complaints Against Private Collection Agencies

2014
A06M0012
Audit
Department of Education OIG
Department of Education

We found that FSA did not effectively monitor borrower complaints against the PCAs or make sure that the complaints were satisfactorily resolved, did not ensure that the PCAs were adhering to Federal debt collection laws, and did not consider complaints when deciding how much to compensate PCAs. As...

Oversight of Guaranty Agencies During the Phase-Out of the Federal Family Education Loan Program

2014
A06L0003
Audit
Department of Education OIG
Department of Education

We evaluated FSA’s process for ensuring the continued protection of Federal funds at Guaranty Agencies (GA), oversight of the GAs’ ability to perform their duties, and actions necessary for the GAs’ successful participation during the phase-out of the Federal Family Education Loan Program (FFELP)...

The Ohio Department of Education’s Administration of its Race to the Top Grant

2014
A05N0009
Audit
Department of Education OIG
Department of Education

Our audit sought to determine whether the Ohio Department of Education (the Ohio SEA) accurately and completely reported RTT grant performance data to the Department, ensured that it and its participating LEAs and charter schools would have the capacity to deliver and sustain results described in...

Direct Assessment Programs: Processes for Identifying Risks and Evaluating Applications for Title IV Eligibility Need Strengthening to Better Mitigate Risks Posed to the Title IV Programs

2014
A05N0004
Audit
Department of Education OIG
Department of Education

We found that the Department did not adequately address the risks that schools offering direct assessment programs pose to the Federal student aid programs and did not establish sufficient processes to ensure that only programs meeting Federal regulatory requirements are approved as eligible. We...

U.S. Department of Education's Compliance with Executive Order 13520, "Reducing Improper Payments" for Fiscal Years 2012 and 2013

2014
A03N0004
Audit
Department of Education OIG
Department of Education

We found that for both FY 2012 and FY 2013, the Department complied with Executive Order 13520, adequately addressed improper payment risks, and described an adequate level of oversight to reduce and recapture improper Pell Grant payments. However, we found that the Department still had not...

OIG Risk Assessment of the Department's Purchase Card Program for Fiscal Year 2013

2015
S19O0005
Other
Department of Education OIG
Department of Education

Our review determined that the purchase card program does not pose a high risk to the Department and an audit of the program was not necessary. We reviewed the Department’s purchase card policies and procedures, Office of Management and Budget guidance, corrective action the Department has taken in...

OIG's Independent Report on the Department's Detailed Accounting of Fiscal Year 2014 Drug Control Funds

2015
B19P0005
Other
Department of Education OIG
Department of Education

In accordance with the Office of National Drug Control Policy Circular “Accounting of Drug Control Funding and Performance Summary,” we authenticated the Department’s accounting of FY 2014 drug control funds and performance measures for key drug control programs by expressing a conclusion about the...

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