The Office of Inspector General, Department of Health and Human Services, has recently issued guidance for those of its contractors seeking to self-disclose reportable conduct under the Federal Acquisition Regulations (“FAR”). Under federal regulations governing relationships between the federal government and its contractors, any contractors with credible evidence of a potential violation of the False Claims Act or federal criminal law involving fraud, bribery, gratuity, or conflict of interest must make a timely disclosure of such violations to the Office of Inspector General for the agency with which they contract. Failure to timely self-report these potential violations can result in the suspension of contracts or the debarment of the contractor. This requirement applies only to contractors whose contracts are governed by the FAR and which are valued at over $5,000,000.

The guidance details the information required to be included on the disclosure form, including the date the issue was discovered, detailed descriptions of any internal investigation undertaken, and a quantification of the financial harm to the government and any potential overpayments. In addition to the guidance, issued in April of 2014, OIG has provided FAQs for contractors covered by the FAR who may be considering a disclosure.

Importantly, these required disclosures are distinct from providers’ voluntary self-disclosures of fraud to CMS (for Stark violations) or OIG (for other provider fraud). They are also distinct from any disclosures of fraudulent conduct that may be required for Medicare Advantage and Part D plans. For information on required disclosures to CMS, visit CMS’s website on Stark disclosures and OIG’s webpage on the provider self-disclosure protocol.