CalSTRS compliance hotline sees increased use; many reports are member‑service inquiries

Lynn Bishaw, director of Enterprise Risk Management and Compliance Services, told the Audits & Risk Management Committee on Sept. 25 that CalSTRS’ compliance and ethics hotline has seen increased reporting as staff expanded outreach and awareness efforts.

"We're here to present the annual update on the CalSTRS compliance and ethics hotline," Bishaw said, noting the hotline was established in early 2020 and is hosted by a third‑party vendor, Navix, and is available online or by phone 24/7.

Bishaw described several outreach tools introduced this year, including an awareness brochure, a wallet card with a QR code and phone number, and hotline education incorporated into annual compliance training. Staff said the number of reports rose year over year and that many entries categorized as "other" primarily reflected member service inquiries (changes of address, beneficiary questions, and member payment inquiries) rather than ethics or compliance allegations.

Committee members asked about cases open for more than a year. Bishaw said some investigations take longer depending on the issue and that general counsel follows up regularly. "We are monitoring it, and I don't have any concerns with any of the open cases that are still being worked," she said.

The committee discussed whether the hotline should remain prominent on the CalSTRS contact page. Some trustees favored keeping the hotline visible to capture serious issues rather than hide it; staff said they will review how the contact page lists the hotline and consider refining report categories to reduce nonethics traffic.

No public comments were received on the item.