HHS Office of Inspector General
Inspector general for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
The Office of Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services was established in 1976. Its stated mission is to provide objective oversight to promote the economy, efficiency, effectiveness and integrity of HHS programs; it publishes audit and inspection reports and has an Office of Investigations. In the linked stories it is the auditor of state-run programs funded through HHS: a February 2026 evaluation (OEI-07-23-00480) found Alaska case files lacked documentation of law-enforcement notification in 30 percent of incidents involving missing Native foster children; a September 2026 audit (OAS-25-06-038) of Arkansas found 10 of 70 sampled screened-out hotline reports were inappropriately screened out; a September 2025 audit (OAS-25-01-011) of West Virginia found 91 of 100 sampled reports failed one or more requirements; and a September 18, 2026 audit of Connecticut's disability program found 70 of 101 critical incidents were not properly reported or recorded.