The TVA Office of the Inspector General wants to EmPower you to help us fight fraud and make TVA better.

False Statements - In this video, a TVA employee records false cable readings on a document to meet a deadline and avoid suiting up in the heat.

Product Substitution - In this video a contractor has deliberately relabeled a piece of equipment to make it appear to be the brand required by the contractor's contract with TVA, when it was in fact a substandard brand.

Bribery and Kickbacks - In this video, a manager accepts money from a contractor in exchange of securing a TVA contract with the contractor.

Cost Mischarging - In this video, a contractor is charging more for materials than their contract with TVA allows.

Conflict of Interest - It's important to understand that having a conflict of interest is not a crime by itself, but failure to disclose conflicts and recuse yourself from any particular matter which would benefit your financial interest is a crime. In this video, a TVA manager deceptively recommends his own company for a TVA project.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I report a concern?

You can report a concern by phone calling 855-882-8585 or online by going to the Homepage on this website and clicking Report a Concern Online Now. When you report a concern, you will be issued a report number and pin. You'll use these to check on the status of your report and communicate with the TVA OIG anonymously or confidentially.

What happens after I report a concern?

When we receive your concern, we will review your concern and an OIG representative will contact you by phone or, if you remained anonymous, through the EmPowerline website which you can access using your report number and pin.

Then, depending on the nature of your report, one of three actions will be taken:

• the OIG will conduct an investigation
• the concern will be referred to TVA management
• or you will be provided with guidance to the appropriate forum for your concern.

If a concern is referred to management, management's response will be reviewed to determine if an investigation is warranted. Please be aware that in most cases, the Privacy Act prevents the OIG from providing findings and actions taken.

In any case, you'll be sent a notification when your concern is closed. You can access the notification online or by phone using your report number and PIN.

How do I follow-up on my concern?

You may access your report online by going to the Homepage on this website and clicking Report a Concern Online Now. Select the link 'Follow Up on a Reported Concern' then you will be prompted to enter your report number and pin. This allows you to post questions or additional information to the OIG, read responses from the OIG or upload supporting documentation to your report.

You may also call 855-882-8585 to have an operator post your additional information or update you with communications posted by the OIG.

You may be wondering what kind of report may result in an investigation?

Typically, allegations of fraud or a violation of law, regulation, or TVA policy do. Some examples include:

• Employee Misconduct - such as claiming an expense for reimbursement that was not incurred, someone claiming contractor living expenses when he or she doesn't qualify for them, falsifying safety or quality control documents, or falsely reporting major project progress to obtain milestone benefits.
• Environmental Crimes - such as dumping waste or chemicals into the watershed or onto TVA property, not reporting or inaccurately reporting reportable environmental events that occur at a TVA plant, or the mishandling of hazardous waste and asbestos-containing material at TVA facilities.
• Healthcare Fraud - such as a doctor billing TVA for services that were not performed, billing for ineligible dependents, or falsely billing for services as covered services when they are not covered.
• Workers Compensation Fraud - such as when a recipient earns income but does not report it as required or if an employee states an injury occurred at work when it really occurred offsite.
• Theft of Property or Services - such as stealing materials, tools, equipment, copper wire, or purchasing cards.
• Accounting Fraud - such as materially under reporting expenses or shifting significant dollar amounts of (operating and maintenance), or O&M, costs to capital or capital to O&M.
• Computer Crimes - such as accessing child pornography with a TVA computer or using a TVA computer for illegal hacking.
• Ethics Issues - such as conducting political lobbying at work, giving or receiving unauthorized gifts, or using your TVA position for personal gain.
• Terrorism and Sabotage - such as someone deliberately damaging equipment or cutting cables, someone providing critical asset information to foreign governments or someone hacking into TVA's systems to gain information about critical assets or to take down the grid, or someone sabotaging a substation or transmission lines to disrupt the power supply.