United States · HHS-OIG · Exclusions
OIG LEIE exclusion list check.
What the List of Excluded Individuals/Entities is, how OIG tells you to search it, the identity verification step that turns a name match into a result, and a planner that lays out the searches for a name before you open the official database.
Short answer: The HHS Office of Inspector General keeps the List of Excluded Individuals/Entities (LEIE), “a list of all currently excluded individuals and entities,” searchable online at exclusions.oig.hhs.gov by last name and first name, or by entity name, up to five at a time. OIG’s instructions are to enter only the first few letters of each name, include apostrophes and hyphens, check former names and each half of a hyphenated surname, and then verify any name match with the person’s Social Security Number or the entity’s Employer Identification Number on the online search, because “it is not sufficient to simply find a matching first and last name.” The list is updated by the 10th of every month. The effect of an exclusion is that no federal health care program payment will be made for items or services the excluded person furnishes, orders or prescribes.
Plan the searches for one name
Result
Enter a name and press Plan searches.
What the list is and what an exclusion does
OIG’s background page says it “has the authority to exclude individuals and entities from Federally funded health care programs pursuant to section 1128 of the Social Security Act (Act) (and from Medicare and State health care programs under section 1156 of the Act) and maintains a list of all currently excluded individuals and entities called the List of Excluded Individuals/Entities (LEIE).” The effect is spelled out on the same page: “the primary effect is that no payment will be made for any items or services furnished, ordered, or prescribed by an excluded individual or entity,” which “includes Medicare, Medicaid, and all other Federal plans and programs that provide health benefits funded directly or indirectly by the United States (other than the Federal Employees Health Benefits Plan).” The reason employers check is also on the page: “Anyone who hires an individual or entity on the LEIE may be subject to civil monetary penalties (CMP),” so “health care entities need to routinely check the LEIE to ensure that new hires and current employees are not on the excluded list.”
Mandatory and permissive exclusions
OIG divides its authorities in two. Mandatory exclusions, which the law requires, cover convictions for Medicare or Medicaid fraud and other offenses related to delivering items or services under Medicare, Medicaid, SCHIP or other state health care programs; patient abuse or neglect; felony convictions for other health care related fraud, theft or financial misconduct; and felony convictions relating to unlawful manufacture, distribution, prescription or dispensing of controlled substances. The table on OIG’s page gives minimum periods of five years for those, ten years for a second mandatory offense and permanent exclusion for a third. Permissive exclusions are at OIG’s discretion and include misdemeanor health care fraud convictions, licence revocation or suspension for reasons bearing on competence, performance or financial integrity, submission of false claims, kickback arrangements, defaulting on health education loans and controlling a sanctioned entity, with baseline periods that OIG lists as three years for several of them and “period imposed by the state licensing authority” for licence actions.
How OIG says to search
| Instruction (LEIE quick tips) | What to do |
|---|---|
| “enter only the first few letters of the first and last names, or the first part of the entity name” | Short prefixes catch spelling variants; the planner above suggests them |
| “Include punctuation in names”; only apostrophes, hyphens, ampersands and commas are allowed | Keep O’Connor’s apostrophe; remove # $ % * ! and periods |
| Check former names and each last name in a hyphenated name | OIG’s example: Jane Smith-Jones is checked as Jane Smith and Jane Jones as well |
| “searching for ‘dental’ might return an entity named ‘DENTAL CARE UNLIMITED’ but would not return an entity named ‘UNITED DENTAL CARE’” | Entity searches match from the start of the name; try the name’s first words |
| “take the final step of identity verification using the Social Security Number (SSN) for an individual or Employer Identification Number (EIN) for an entity” | A name hit is a lead; the SSN or EIN check on the online search is the result |
| “Maintain documentation of the initial name search performed and any additional searches conducted” | Record each search and date, including no-hit searches |
The online database searches up to five individuals or entities at a time and offers the SSN or EIN verification; the downloadable CSV holds the whole list but, OIG notes, cannot include SSNs because of the Privacy Act, so downloadable-database users must still verify matches online. Both sources are refreshed on the same cycle: “All exclusion information is updated by the 10th of every month,” with monthly supplement files for organizations that keep their own copy. OIG’s guidance for state Medicaid agencies says the list must be checked monthly and at any new enrollment.
Worked example
A clinic manager is onboarding a nurse who gives her name as Jane Smith-Jones and mentions a previous married name. The planner lays out the searches OIG’s tips call for: “Smit / Jan” for the full surname, then “Smit / Jan” and “Jone / Jan” for each half of the hyphen, plus a separate search under the previous name. One of the searches returns a row with a matching name. That is not a result. The manager enters the nurse’s Social Security Number on the online search; the verification shows no match for that SSN, so the row belongs to someone else. She files the dates of all four searches, the verification screen and the outcome, which is the documentation OIG asks employers to keep.
Method
The planner applies OIG’s published search rules in your browser: it shortens names to prefixes, splits hyphenated surnames, reminds you of former names and the SSN or EIN step, and flags characters the LEIE search prohibits. It does not query the LEIE, does not hold a copy of it and does not store or transmit a name. Wording on this page was read from OIG’s exclusions program, background and quick-tips pages and the online search page on November 11, 2026.
What this does not cover
- State Medicaid exclusion lists, which several states keep separately from the LEIE.
- The GSA System for Award Management, a different federal debarment database.
- Reinstatement, which OIG says is not automatic when an exclusion period ends.
- Whether a particular item or service falls within the limited emergency exception in 42 CFR 1001.1901(c).
Figures read from the sources below on November 11, 2026. Last updated November 11, 2026.
Sources
- HHS-OIG: Search the Exclusions Database (online LEIE search) (retrieved November 11, 2026)
- HHS-OIG: LEIE Quick Tips and Instructions (retrieved November 11, 2026)
- HHS-OIG: Background Information and Exclusion Authorities (retrieved November 11, 2026)
- HHS-OIG: Exclusions Program (retrieved November 11, 2026)
Common mix-ups
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Often assumedFinding the same first and last name on the LEIE proves the applicant is excluded.
What the source saysOIG's quick tips say it is not sufficient to simply find a matching first and last name on the LEIE; the final step is identity verification using the SSN for an individual or the EIN for an entity on the online search. [1]
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Often assumedThe downloadable LEIE file is enough on its own because it holds the whole list.
What the source saysOIG explains that the Privacy Act prohibits distributing SSNs, so they cannot be in the downloadable database, and users of that file must verify potential matches on the online searchable database. [1]
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Often assumedAn exclusion only blocks Medicare billing by the excluded person.
What the source saysOIG's background page says no payment will be made for any items or services furnished, ordered or prescribed by an excluded individual or entity under Medicare, Medicaid and all other federal plans that provide health benefits funded by the United States, other than the Federal Employees Health Benefits Plan. [2]
Checked against these sources on .
Frequently asked questions
What is the OIG exclusion list?
The List of Excluded Individuals/Entities (LEIE), which OIG describes as a list of all currently excluded individuals and entities, maintained under section 1128 of the Social Security Act and available through an online search or a downloadable file.
What does an exclusion mean?
OIG says the primary effect is that no payment will be made for any items or services furnished, ordered or prescribed by an excluded individual or entity under Medicare, Medicaid and all other federal plans and programs that provide health benefits funded by the United States, other than the Federal Employees Health Benefits Plan.
How often is the LEIE updated?
OIG's quick tips say all exclusion information is updated by the 10th of every month, with monthly supplement files listing that month's exclusions and reinstatements.
Is a name match enough?
No. OIG says it is not sufficient to simply find a matching first and last name; always take the final step of verifying identity using the SSN for an individual or the EIN for an entity on the online search, and keep documentation of the searches.
How should I type the name?
Enter only the first few letters of the first and last names or the first part of an entity name, include any apostrophe or hyphen, and use only apostrophes, hyphens, ampersands and commas; other characters such as # $ % * ! and periods are prohibited. Check former names and each part of a hyphenated surname separately.
Who has to check the list?
OIG says anyone who hires an individual or entity on the LEIE may be subject to civil monetary penalties and that health care entities should routinely check new hires and current employees; state Medicaid agencies must check monthly and at enrollment.
Does this page search the LEIE?
No. It turns a name into the searches OIG's tips call for and links to the official online search; nothing you type is stored or sent.
Not legal advice
This page is general information from an unofficial guide, not legal advice, and it is not affiliated with HHS or its Office of Inspector General. Only the official LEIE search, with the SSN or EIN verification step, shows whether a person or entity is excluded. Nothing you type is sent anywhere by this page.