The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS OIG) was created under the Inspector General Act as amended by Public Law 95-452 with the purpose of providing security and maintaining the integrity of the Health and Human Services Programs and to ensure the well being of its beneficiaries, mainly Health Care Fraud.

The department is charged with the duty of combating waste, fraud and abusive acts involving the various programs of the agency, such as the Medicare and other programs of the Food and Drug Administration, National Institutes of Health and the CDC.

As an investigative body, the special agents of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS OIG) are considered to be the inspectors and investigating officers who are the front liners in pursuing the nation’s efforts of fighting fraud, waste and abuse in the health care programs. The authority and duties of the department include the following:

HHS OIG – Authority and Duties

• Conduct criminal, administrative and civil investigations related to fraud involving the HHS programs and the beneficiaries
• Provide resources for the oversight of the HHS program implementation
• Use communication technology and state of the art tools in the conduct of its investigation
• Accommodate complaints about health care fraud and maintaining an OIG hotline for this purpose
• Provide collaborative assistance in developing enforcement actions to enforce the law
• Recommend programs that will provide safeguards to the HHS programs that are vulnerable to fraud.
• Provide protection to the HSS Secretary
• Special agents are authorized to carry firearms with Glock 23 and 27 pistols, including the LWRC M6 rifle.

HHS OIG – Responsibilities

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS OIG) is primarily responsible in the investigation of violations of various Medicare frauds, such as the following:

• Charging excessive billings on services and supplies
• Knowingly submitting false statements
• Misrepresentation on Medicare claims
• Conducting prohibited solicitations and accepting payments for services reimbursed by the health programs of the federal government
• Making prohibited referrals and accepting payments higher than what is allowed under the program