The Office of Inspector General (OIG) was created by statute in 2013 to provide a central point for coordination of and responsibility for activities that promote accountability, integrity, and efficiency. The mission of the OIG is to protect the integrity of Citizens’ operations and to promote efficiency and effectiveness through independent and objective investigations, reviews, and oversight. The OIG has the responsibility to initiate, direct, coordinate, participate in, and perform audits, reviews, evaluations, studies and investigations designed to assess management practices, compliance with laws, rules and policies, and program effectiveness and efficiency.

Independent Oversight

Personal and organizational independence of the OIG is critical to its purpose and function. The Inspector General and OIG staff will at all times remain free from personal or professional, and internal or external impairments to independence. OIG staff will consistently maintain an independent attitude and appearance.

To provide organizational independence, the Inspector General is appointed by the Financial Service Commission and may only be removed from office by the Commission. The Inspector General reports to and is under supervision of the chair of the Board of Governors. The Executive Director or corporation staff may not prevent or prohibit the Inspector General from initiating, carrying out, or completing any audit, review, evaluation, study or investigation.

Complaints

While not an exhaustive list, the following are the types of issues that should be reported to the OIG:

• Fraud, bribery or other financial crimes
• Discrimination, harassment or sexual harassment
• Conflicts of interest or other ethical concerns
• Misuse or misappropriation of assets or information
• Policy and process violations
• Contract and procurement irregularities
• Unauthorized access and/or disclosure of confidential information
• Unlawful retaliation
• Serious abuse of power
• Theft
• Other serious misconduct or concerns

Matters such as employee relations issues, grievance situations, personnel or performance issues, and consumer/policyholder complaints will be referred to the appropriate parties. Referrals are documented and tracked by the Office of Inspector General to ensure each matter is addressed.