This might take a little digging because there is a LOT of reading. I went through some things on the last Q post associated with "placeholder" as well as "OIG or Office of Inspector General." Need some help digging on this if anyone is willing to help.

Below you’ll find what I’ve found so far:

https://www.revolvy.com/topic/Placeholder%20(politics)

In politics, a placeholder is an official appointed temporarily to a position, with the understanding that they will not seek office in their own right.[1]

The situation often occurs in cases where a United States Senator leaves office before the expiration of their term. In most states, governors have the power to appoint a replacement temporarily, until a special election can be held. If a governor is interested in seeking office, he or she may appoint themselves to the position; however, this may be seen by voters in a negative light, and may backfire, leading to the new senator's defeat. To avoid this, the governor may instead select an aide or elder statesman to fill the slot for a few months. Sen. George LeMieux of Florida, for example, was appointed by Florida Governor Charlie Crist to a senate seat that Crist ultimately sought.

Placeholders may also be used in cases where more than one member of a party is interested in seeking the office, and the governor does not wish to choose between competing members of his or her own party. Placeholders may also be appointed when a senator leaves office while a campaign for his or her seat is already underway, so as not to affect the outcome of the election. For example, after the death of Senator Paul Wellstone in 2002 just weeks before election day, Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura appointed Dean Barkley to serve, as Barkley was not running for the office, and his appointment would not affect the election.

Historically, in cases where a politician died in office, a variation known as widow's succession was sometimes followed, where the deceased politician's widow was appointed to the seat as a placeholder.

Placeholder candidates

A subset of placeholders is the placeholder candidate. A placeholder candidate is used in politics as a temporary stand-in for ballot access petitioning purposes until the actual nominees are decided. The need for such placeholders arises from the fact that many third parties must begin their petitioning efforts to meet ballot access deadlines well before their nominating conventions. In any event, the petitions are technically to put presidential electors on the ballot, who may switch their allegiance at any time. In 2008, Michael Badnarik was used as a placeholder candidate in Libertarian petitioning, and Michael Bloomberg and Gail Parker were used as placeholders in Independent Green petitioning. The use of placeholders is sometimes criticized as deceptive.[2]

Perhaps the best-known placeholder candidate was retired Admiral James Stockdale, who had been used in 1992 as a placeholder vice presidential candidate by activists seeking to draft Ross Perot to run for the presidency as an independent. By the time Perot committed to run, it was too late to remove Stockdale's name from the ballot, and Stockdale remained on the ticket, even joining Dan Quayle and Al Gore in the nationally televised vice presidential debate, where Stockdale quipped, "Who am I? Why am I here?" in his introductory speech.[3]

References

1 Amira, Dan (July 16, 2010). "Carte Goodwin, 36, Gets to Be a Senator for a Few Months". New York Magazine.

2 Carmen, Barbara (February 23, 2008). "GOP candidate fighting challenge from 'placeholder'". The Columbus Dispatch.

3 Lehrer, Jim (September 4, 1999). "James Stockdale Interview". Debating Our Destiny. PBS.

https://www.oig.doc.gov/pages/default.aspx

Office of Inspector General

The Office of Inspector General (OIG) seeks to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the Department of Commerce's programs and operations. OIG also endeavors to detect and deter waste, fraud, and abuse.

OIG monitors and tracks the use of taxpayer dollars through audits, inspections, evaluations, and investigations. The Inspector General keeps the Secretary of Commerce and Congress fully and currently informed about problems and deficiencies relating to Commerce's activities and the need for corrective action.

OIG has a Whistleblower Protection Program, including an ombudsman, established pursuant to the Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act of 2012.

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https://oig.hhs.gov/reports-and-publications/archives/semiannual/2018/sar-spring-2018.pdf

Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General Semiannual Report to Congress—October 1, 2017, through March 31, 2018

A MESSAGE FROM

THE INSPECTOR GENERAL

I am pleased to present the enclosed Semiannual Report to Congress summarizing significant work of the Office of Inspector General (OIG), Department of

Health and Human Services (HHS or the Department) for

the reporting period covering October 1, 2017, to March

31, 2018. Each day, OIG uses data-driven decision making to combat fraud, waste, and abuse of Federal health care programs and to improve the effectiveness of Department programs. Our multidisciplinary team of auditors, investigators, evaluators, analysts, and attorneys strategically focuses on fraud prevention, detection, and enforcement efforts. Over the 6-month reporting period OIG worked to enhance the integrity of HHS programs and operations, protect vulnerable populations, and drive value in health and human services.

OIG has long been a leader in the Department’s fight

against prescription drug fraud, including opioids, drug

diversion, pill mills, medical identity theft, and other

schemes that endanger people and communities. OIG

investigates a growing workload of opioid-related fraud

cases and provides practical recommendations for programmatic changes to protect patients and programs. In January, OIG testified before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Ways and Means about the current opioid landscape and highlighted our related recommendations. OIG works actively with the Department, Congress, and key external stakeholders to reduce inappropriate prescribing and foster effective, efficient addiction treatment.

We are in an information revolution that requires constant vigilance over the security of sensitive data and systems. Cybersecurity incidents and breaches pose a significant risk to the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of sensitive data. Incidents and breaches can impede HHS’s ability to deliver essential programs and services, threaten major elements of our country’s critical infrastructure, and place at risk the health and safety of patients. OIG is focused on identifying and addressing cybersecurity risks within the Department. During this reporting period, OIG found that security controls across four HHS agencies needed improvement to more effectively detect and prevent cyberattacks. OIG’s cybersecurity work helps protect the public from harm and helps the Department secure its data and systems.

HHS programs provide critical health and human services to many vulnerable populations, including adults and children in foster care and individuals receiving care in group home settings. In March, OIG

Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General Semiannual Report to Congress—October 1, 2017, through March 31, 2018

issued a report that found 20 group care facilities for children in foster care that were surveyed in Washington State did not comply with State health and safety requirements. OIG works to ensure that these individuals have access to and receive high-quality services and are protected from abuse or neglect. During this reporting period, OIG also released a joint report with HHS’s Administration for Community Living and Office for Civil Rights that highlighted vulnerabilities in care provided to persons with disabilities in group homes and described model practices States can use to more effectively protect the health and safety of residents living in these group home settings. In conjunction with the report, OIG held a forum with our HHS partners to explore workable, holistic solutions to ensure the safety and quality of care delivery for group home residents.

Looking forward, OIG will continue to leverage our staff expertise to inform Department-wide goals, including combating the opioid crisis, bringing down the high cost of prescription drugs, addressing the cost and availability of health insurance, and transforming our health care system to a value-based system.

Since Congress established HHS-OIG in 1976, we have worked collaboratively with our partners to protect and oversee HHS’s vital health and human services programs. OIG appreciates the continued commitment and support of Congress and the Department for the important work of our office.

Daniel R. Levinson Inspector General

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https://oig.hhs.gov/reports-and-publications/workplan/index.asp#current

How and Where We Operate

OIG operates by providing independent and objective oversight that promotes economy, efficiency, and effectiveness in the programs and operations of HHS. OIG's program integrity and oversight activities adhere to professional standards established by the Government Accountability Office (GAO), Department of Justice (DOJ), and the Inspector General community. OIG carries out its mission to protect the integrity of HHS programs and the health and welfare of the people served by those programs through a nationwide network of audits, investigations, and evaluations, as well as outreach, compliance, and educational activities.

https://oig.hhs.gov/fraud/

Child Support Enforcement

Parents who fail to pay court-ordered child support for the care of their children put an unnecessary strain on the custodial parent and the children, as well as on agencies that are tasked with enforcing these matters. Although most child support cases fall under State jurisdiction, the Office of Inspector General (OIG) plays an important role in aggressively pursuing parents who fail to pay court-ordered child support.

Consumer Alerts

Check out OIG's Consumer Alerts to protect yourself from criminals attempting to steal money from you or the Government.

Contract Fraud

Any suspected fraudulent activity by Federal or State employees, contractors, subcontractors, or any other participants on an HHS contract should be reported to OIG.

Enforcement Actions

The Office of Inspector General and other State and Federal agencies collaborate to ensure civil, criminal and/or administrative action is taken against providers who break the laws governing Federal health care programs.

Grant and Contract Vulnerabilities: Hurricane Sandy

Inspector General Daniel Levinson and OIG senior staff discuss OIG's work on grants and contracts vulnerabilities and how it relates to Hurricane Sandy funding. Watch these 4-to-5 minute educational videos designed to help prevent fraud, waste, and abuse.

Medicaid Fraud Control Units

Medicaid Fraud Control Units (MFCU or Unit) investigate and prosecute Medicaid fraud as well as patient abuse and neglect in health care facilities.

Medicare Fraud Strike Force

Medicare Fraud Strike Force Teams harness new technologies and the combined resources of Federal, State, and local law enforcement entities to prevent and combat health care fraud, waste, and abuse. These teams have a proven record of success in analyzing data and investigative intelligence to quickly identify fraud and bring prosecutions.

OIG Most Wanted Fugitives

Check out OIG's list of most-wanted health care fugitives. These individuals have allegedly defrauded taxpayers of millions of dollars. For OIG, tracking more than 170 health care fugitives is a challenge, but you can help. If you have a tip about a featured most-wanted fugitive, send the information our way!

Report Fraud

The OIG Hotline accepts tips from all sources about potential fraud, waste, abuse and mismanagement in Department of Health & Human Services programs.

State False Claims Act Reviews

The OIG, in consultation with the Attorney General, determines whether States have false claims acts that qualify for a financial incentive.

Whistleblower Ombudsman

Whistleblower disclosures by HHS employees can save lives as well as billions of taxpayer dollars. They play a critical role in keeping our Government honest, efficient, and accountable.

>>3872360

its not much, but its something

i guess.