The IG is appointed by the President of the United States, with the advice and consent of the U.S. Senate. Simply put, that means the President nominates an IG, and the Senate then either confirms or denies the appointment.
The IG's salary is set by law, currently at $173,452; TVA has no say in what the IG receives. Also, the Inspector General is not personally eligible for any other form of compensation, including executive bonuses or Winning Performance payouts.
Congress set the conditions of my employment in the IG Act. The act requires the President to appoint IGs without regard to political affiliation and solely on the basis of integrity and demonstrated ability in accounting, auditing, financial analysis, law, management analysis, public administration or investigations. In addition, only the President can remove an OIG from office and then must report the reason to both houses of Congress.
No. Although TVA management can and does request some OIG reviews, the IG has the legal authority to conduct whatever audits, evaluations, or investigations the IG judges are necessary or desirable. TVA can't prevent the IG from conducting any audit, evaluation, or investigation or issuing any subpoena.
Also by law, the OIG has access to all records, reports, audits, reviews, documents, papers, recommendations, or other material available to TVA which relate to its programs and operations. TVA management understands OIG's powers and responsibilities and works collaboratively with the OIG.
None. The IG Act gives the IG the power to select and employ the officers and employees necessary to carry out IG functions, powers and duties.
No. The OIG has its own year end performance pay program. Performance measures and goals are approved by the IG. As with TVA Board members, who also are appointed by the President, the IG does not receive any bonus monies.
No. The IG expresses his/her views about TVA to Congress, the Administration, and the media as he deems appropriate. TVA has no control or oversight over those communications. By the same token, we value cooperation with the TVA Board and TVA management, and we solicit their views about a number of subjects from time to time. Ultimately, we make our own decisions independent of TVA management or the Board about how we communicate the results of our work. We currently enjoy a healthy level of mutual respect.
No. The TVA Board and TVA management − not the IG − are charged with running TVA. They make policy. OIG audits, evaluates, and investigates. We make recommendations for change, which TVA management generally follows. Sometimes OIG and TVA management disagree about what action TVA management should take, and sometimes TVA management chooses not to follow our recommendations, but that is infrequent.
Congress requires us to file written reports with appropriate Congressional committees twice a year. These reports must include, among other things, descriptions of significant problems, abuses, and deficiencies relating to the administration of programs and operations at TVA, as well as descriptions and the status of OIG recommendations. If TVA management has agreed to make changes but does not do so, we report that to Congress as well.
Our work speaks for itself. In our reports, we routinely identify areas of needed improvement in TVA programs and operations, and we make those reports available on our Web site as required by the IG Act.
We encourage everyone to read our reports. Unfortunately, we cannot disclose all the details of our work, such as investigations and pre-award contract audits, due to laws that protect privacy and proprietary information. For example, if a TVA employee reports fraud or abuse to OIG, we generally are bound by law to protect that individual's identity unless he or she consents to disclosure.
Simply put, it's the right thing to do. It's also required by TVA policy. We need any information you may have about waste, fraud, and abuse to better perform our responsibilities to TVA stakeholders. You are in the best position to know when things may not be right, and we rely on you to tell us where we should be looking.
If you see something that doesn't look right, say something. By doing so, you help the OIG stop fraud, waste, and abuse in its tracks! Anonymous & Confidential. The EMPOWERLINE® is a safe outlet for reporting and is available 24/7.