OIG [Department of Labor] Law and Legal Definition
The Office of the Inspector General (OIG) was established at the Department of Labor (DOL) by the Inspector General Act of 1978. It conducts audits and evaluations to review the effectiveness, efficiency, economy, and integrity of all DOL programs and operations. The inspector general to be appointed is nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate. A person so appointed will have independent authority within the Department to initiate and conduct audits and investigations and to issue administrative subpoenas to individuals or entities outside the Federal government in order to obtain full access to documents and records. The function of OIG is to ensure that there is proper compliance with the application of laws and regulations so as to achieve the intended result and also to ensure that the DOL’s resources are efficiently and economically utilized. An inspector appointed to the OIG is subject to the provisions of the Hatch Act .
OIG is responsible for conducting criminal, civil, and administrative investigations relating to alleged or suspected violations of Federal laws, rules or regulations, as they pertain to DOL programs, operations, and personnel. It also conducts labor racketeering investigations in three distinct areas namely, employee benefit plans, labor-management relations, and internal union affairs. This office is unique among inspectors general because it has an “external” program function to conduct criminal investigations to combat the influence of labor racketeering and organized crime in the nation’s labor unions.
