The CAO may receive allegations of employee fraud from many sources, including anonymous calls, letters, informants, and coworkers.
Employee fraud includes, but is not limited to, the following:
Moving funds away from their intended purpose
Taking bribes or kickbacks from applicants or recipients
Stealing or selling welfare documents
Causing the issuance of benefits for anyone who is ineligible or who does not exist
Using the position to get benefits fraudulently
Misusing commonwealth resources or grossly abusing work hours
The Bureau of Special Investigations (BSI) Office of State Inspector General (OSIG) investigates all allegations of employee fraud. The CAO must refer allegations of employee-related fraud to BSI as soon as possible.
When the CAO receives any allegation of employee fraud, the Executive Director or their designee must do the following:
Get as complete a description as possible of the alleged fraudulent act from the individual who is making the complaint.
Note: Advise the complainant not to discuss the allegation with the employee in question or with any other employees unless otherwise directed by the chain-of-command.
Alert the director of BSI of the allegation immediately by telephone (717-783-6835). The Director of BSI will advise what course of action to take. The CAO must follow DHS protocol and the alert chain-of-command.
Avoid any conversation with the suspected employee about the allegation, and avoid any confrontation between the complainant and the suspected employee.
Take no further action until instructions are received from the chain-of-command or the Director of BSI.
Make no comments or promises if confronted by the suspected employee. If the suspected employee volunteers information about the allegation, get as much detail as possible, thoroughly document what is said, and notify the chain-of-command and the Director of BSI.
Do not accept proposals such as retirement or resignation without first contacting the appropriate chain-of-command and the director of BSI.
After the investigation, the OSIG will provide a written report to the Secretary and General Counsel if the allegation of employee fraud is substantiated. Distribution is at the discretion of the Secretary and General Counsel. Follow up action may be taken by Labor Relations, the Office of Attorney General, or the local district attorney’s office.
If the DHS referred allegation is unsubstantiated, the Director of BSI will advise the Executive Director or their designee by telephone. No formal report will be provided.
Updated October 21, 2024, replacing May 1, 2017