1) What is “fraud, waste, and abuse?”

Fraud is any intentional deception designed to deprive the United States unlawfully of something of value or to secure from the United States for an individual a benefit, privilege, allowance, or consideration to which he or she is not entitled.  Such practices include, but are not limited to, the offer, payment, or acceptance of bribes or gratuities; making false statements; submitting false claims; using false weights or measures; evading or corrupting inspectors or other officials; deceit either by suppressing the truth or misrepresenting material fact; adulterating or substituting materials; falsifying records and books of accounts; arranging for secret profits, kickbacks, or commissions; and conspiring to use any of these devices.  The term also includes conflict of interest cases, criminal irregularities, and the unauthorized disclosure of official information relating to procurement and disposal matters.

Waste is the extravagant careless, or needless expenditure of Government funds, or the consumption of Government property that results from deficient practices, systems, controls, or decisions.  The term also includes improper practices not involving prosecutable fraud.

Abuse is the intentional or improper use of Government resources that can include the excessive or improper use of one's position, in a manner contrary to its rightful or legally intended use.  Examples include misuse of rank, position, or authority or misuse of DISA resources.

2) Do you have to identify yourself?

No.  You may request confidentiality or anonymity.  You have two options when you request your identity remain confidential:

• Release your identity to the DISA OIG with the understanding that it will not be released to the investigator, or
• Identify yourself with the understanding that only the DISA OIG and the investigator will know who you are.

If you request confidentiality, we will make every effort to protect your identity from disclosure; however, we cannot guarantee confidentiality since disclosure may be required during the investigation or in the course of corrective action.

If you file your complaint anonymously, we will not know who you are.  As such, we will not be able to contact you to request additional information or to give you the results of the investigation.

You may consider establishing an e-mail account using an internet service provider to submit an anonymous complaint; however, we will not respond to anonymous complaints submitted in this way since we have no way of verifying who you are.

3) What can you expect when you file a hotline complaint?

The DISA OIG staff will evaluate your complaint and determine if the matter warrants investigation or if we should refer your complaint to other authorities or the command for a response. If you provide your contact information, we will send you a confirmation email to let you know that we received your complaint and provide you information on your case as appropriate. 

However, federal regulations prohibit the disclosure of information contained in investigative and law enforcement records, even to the individual submitting the allegation(s). We are unable to notify anonymous complainants of the results of an investigation if we do not have an e-mail address.

4) Am I guaranteed an investigation?

No one is guaranteed an investigation.  Depending upon what allegations are submitted, the DISA OIG may not be the correct entity to file a complaint with, as certain matters do not fall under DoD Inspector General purview or cognizance.  The DISA Inspector General reserves the right to decline to investigate any complaint.

Generally, the DISA Inspector General does not accept a complaint for inquiry if:

• You have not used an appropriate complaint process for military and civilian employees such as the Equal Opportunity/Equal Employment Opportunity, Administrative Grievance Procedure, etc.;
• Another investigation is being conducted into the matter; and/or
• The matter is not within DISA Inspector General purview as stated above.

If you have any questions, please contact the DISA OIG Hotline at:

(800) 266-5173
(301) 225-6250, DSN 375-6250
SBU IP (Unclassified Only):  disa.meade.ig.mbx.ig-hotline@mail.mil
SIPR: disa.meade.ig.mbx.ig-hotline@mail.smil.mil
JWICS: disa_ig_hotline@disa.ic.gov

5) How do you determine the status of your complaint or obtain a copy of the report?

While the investigation is ongoing, we can only tell you whether the case is open. At any given stage, our office cannot provide any detailed information regarding file movement or action(s) that have been taken on any allegation reported to our office.  This requirement also applies to the Complainant, who is the source of the complaint.

Once the investigation is closed, the DISA OIG will send you a letter to inform you that your allegations were substantiated or unsubstantiated. 

If you wish to obtain more information about the case, you may submit a request under the Freedom of Information Act to the DISA OIG or the IG office that conducted the investigation to obtain a copy of the report.

6) How can I file a request under the Freedom of Information Act?

Once your case is closed, you may obtain the results through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request. For information regarding DISA FOIA policies, please see the Freedom of Information Act Program page.

You may submit the request via an email with the subject line stating FOIA Request and describe the records you are seeking. You can also submit via physical mail and or fax via the below address and numbers:

Defense Information Systems Agency
ATTN: Headquarters FOIA Requester Service Center
P.O. Box 549
Ft Meade, MD  20755-0549
Phone: (301) 225-6117
FAX: (301) 225-0510
Email: DISA Ft Meade GC Mailbox FOIA
disa.meade.gc.mbx.foia@mail.mil

DISA FOIA contact:
Office of the General Counsel
(301) 225-6100
Email: DISA Ft Meade GC Mailbox FOIA
disa.meade.gc.mbx.foia@mail.mil

7) If you do not agree with the results of the investigation, can you ask for reconsideration?

Yes.  If you have new information to support your complaint, the case may be reconsidered.  If, on the other hand, you are merely unhappy because you do not agree with the outcome, the IG will not conduct another investigation.