COMPLAINT SUBMISSION FAQ'S
WHO MAY FILE AN IG COMPLAINT?
Any military or civilian member may file any IG complaint. However, many DoD civilian complaints (i.e., updates/changes to military records, spousal support, criminal activity, discrimination or conditions of employment, etc.) MUST be addressed by agencies other than the IG, please see below: Anyone, including civilians with no DoD affiliation, may file Fraud, Waste , Abuse, or Mismanagement (FWA or M) disclosures. Depending on the circumstances the IG may also accept complaints from dependents or r3elatives of active duty members and retirees and their dependents. However, it is always best for the actual "victim: or person who witnessed the alleged wrong doing to file the complaint. If you have a concern and are unsure if you should file a complaint, contact the local IG Office for advice and/or assistance at (252) 466-3449.
Attention: If you have already contacted Congress, the Office of Inspector General cannot duplicate the process that has already been initiated by a member of Congress. Please continue to follow your complaint with your point of contact within the appropriate congressional office.
What types of complaints are appropriate?
Any Fraud, Waste, Abuse or Mismanagement (FWA&M) and violations of law, regulations, Service instructions, directives or policy should be reported through the appropriate grievance channels. The subject of your complaint must be a Marine Corps office, program, or person. Bear in mind, however, the fact that you may disagree with your supervisor(s) over management styles or have what you believe is a "personality conflict" does not constitute an injustice or mismanagement. If you are not sure if your concern is reportable matter, contact the IG office for advice and/or assistance.
When are IG complaints appropriate?
Individuals should attempt to resolve FWA or M issues and personal complaints at the lowest possible level, using command channels before elevating them to the next higher level or to the IG. Further, complaints must be promptly filed with IG, command, or other grievance channel. IGs may dismiss a complaint if there is no FWA or M, recognizable wrong or violation of law, regulation or policy.
Where and with whom should IG complaints be filed?
Complaints may be filed with superior or commander in your chain of command, the IG or other appropriate inspector, or within any established grievance channel. FWA or complaints may be reported to the Service audit agency, any military investigative organization (i.e., CID or NCIS), or other appropriate authority.
How should complaints be filed?
File a complaint with a Command Inspector General at http://hotline.usmc.mil/ by selecting the MCAS Cherry Point IG from the list.
List your allegation(s) briefly; however, be specific and avoid broad generalizations. Cite specific instance(s) of wrongdoing. Briefly describe the circumstances surrounding the alleged incident. Multiple allegations must be clearly delineated so they can be easily recognized. Ensure you clearly express a violation of law, regulation, directive or policy in each allegation.
When you file an IG complaint you at making an official statement; there fore, you are subject to punitive action if you intentionally make false statements. Also, filing an IG complaint will not normally delay or prevent completion of command actions such as reassignment, retirement, discharge, non-judicial punishment, etc. IGs do not have the authority to place individuals on administrative hold; that authority rests with commanders and your Service's personnel center.
DO you have to identify yourself?
No. You may request confidentiality or anonymity.
You have two options when you request your identity remain confidential:
- Release your identity to the IG/Command Inspector General with the understanding that it will not be released to the investigator, or
- Identify yourself with the understanding that only the IG/Command Inspector General, and the investigator will know who you are.
If you request confidentiality, we will make every effort to protect your identity from disclosure; however, we cannot guarantee confidentiality since disclosure may be required during the investigation or in the course of corrective action.
If you file your complaint anonymously, we will not know who you are. As such, we will not be able to contact you to request additional information or to give you the results of the investigation. You may consider establishing an e-mail account using an internet service provider to submit a anonymous complaint; however, we will not respond anonymous complaints submitted in this way since we have no way of verifying who you are.
Is there a time limit to file a complaint?
Generally, you should submit your complaint immediately. No Inspector General action is required when a complaint is submitted more than 90 days after the alleged wrongdoing occurred. However, we will consider complaints beyond that date if it is within the interest of the United States Marine Corps to do so.
How do you determine the status of your complaint or obtain a copy of the report?
Contact the IG office where you submitted your complaint. While the investigation is ongoing we can only tell you whether the case is open.
Once the investigation is closed, the IG will send you a letter to inform you that your allegations were substantiated or unsubstantiated. If you wish to obtain more information about the case, you may submit a request under the Freedom of Information Act.
If you do not agree with the results of the investigation, can you ask for reconsideration?
Yes if you have new and substantial information to support your complaint., the case may be reconsidered. If, on the other hand, you are merely unhappy because you do not agree with the outcome, the IG will not conduct another investigation.