TRENTON – As part of its oversight of New Jersey’s use of COVID-19 recovery funds, the COVID-19 Compliance and Oversight Taskforce has released updated guidelines governing the use of Integrity Monitors (IMs) by state agencies and authorities.  

The updated Integrity Monitor Guidelines outline three categories of IMs that agencies and authorities can use to guard against waste, fraud, and abuse and to assist state agencies and authorities in administering recovery funds. The Guidelines outline the process for obtaining IMs with appropriate expertise and the reporting required of them.

In addition, the updated Guidelines reinforce that any agency or authority receiving more than $20 million in COVID-19 recovery funds must obtain an IM whose primary responsibility is to monitor for fraud, compliance, and other misuses of funding. These IMs will continue to serve as an independent check on the use of COVID-19 funding to ensure that the funds are spent properly and free from fraud, waste, or abuse. They will also provide recommendations for corrective action and remediation if any issues are identified.

Finally, the updated Guidelines include new reporting templates to be utilized by IMs. Reports are submitted to OSC regularly by IMs and are posted publicly on the State’s COVID-19 Transparency website.

Under Executive Order 166, the COVID-19 Compliance and Oversight Taskforce is chaired by Acting State Comptroller Kevin D. Walsh and includes the Treasurer, the Attorney General, and the Governor’s Disaster Recovery Office. The Taskforce also includes Accountability Officer representatives from state agencies and authorities.

If you have any information regarding the potential fraud or misuse of federal COVID-19 recovery funds, please file an anonymous complaint with OSC or call our confidential hotline at 1-855-OSC-TIPS.