Central Montana Times

Montana has a hotline and a website for state employees to use to report waste, fraud and abuse; however, few people know they exist. 

Last summer, the state's Legislative Audit Division sent a survey to the state’s 6,000 employees. The survey’s goal was to find out if people were aware of the hotline and website and if they had used it. There were 1,600 surveys completed and returned. Forty-two percent of those surveyed said that they were not aware of the waste, fraud and abuse hotline.

When contacted by the Central Montana Times, state Reps. Forrest Mandeville (R-Columbus) and Wendy McKamey (R-Great Falls) said that they too had not been aware of the hotline. McKamey said she supports the idea of the hotline. Mandeville said he wants to know more about it. 

www.montanafraud.gov | website

In a news release, state Sen. Dee Brown (R-Hungry Horse) who chairs the Legislative Audit Committee, said that the hotline exists to make state government more efficient.

“The legislature wants to know about fraud, waste, and abuse," she said. "Employees won’t be retaliated against if they report misdeeds to us."

Montana law explicitly protects whistleblowers.

According to the survey’s results, there were 52 reports of potential waste, fraud and abuse, and 20 cases of theft or potential theft. Most of the reports concerned cases where state resources were wasted rather than cases of outright fraud and theft.

Among the complaints, there were instances of employees who were not truthful in reporting hours worked, and employees who used state time and/or resources to do personal business. Instances of nepotism and non-compliance with hiring/recruitment laws and rules were also common complaints.

State employees with concerns can use the website www.montanafraud.gov. Complaints can be made by text or email. The toll-free hotline to report waste, fraud and abuse is 1-800-222-4446 or in Helena at 444-4446.