Whistleblowers perform a critical service by bringing to light allegations of fraud, waste, and abuse, and by reporting what they reasonably believe to be evidence of wrongdoing. Because of the sensitive nature of this important role, whistleblowers should not be subject to or threatened with reprisal for doing so. Federal laws strongly encourage employees to disclose wrongdoing and protect whistleblowers from retaliation.
Under the Whistleblower Protection Act, certain federal employees may not take or fail to take or threaten to take any personnel action against an employee or applicant for employment because of the employee or applicant’s protected whistleblowing.
The Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act strengthens protections for Federal employees who report fraud, waste, and abuse.
The Office of Special Counsel is an independent federal investigative and prosecutorial agency that enforces whistleblower protections and safeguards the merit system and operates a secure channel for whistleblower disclosures. OSC also enforces the Hatch Act, which restricts partisan activity by government employees.
Individuals with questions or those who believe they have been improperly retaliated against may file a complaint with OSC or file a complaint with the Office of Inspector General via the OIG Hotline form.
U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board is an independent, quasi-judicial agency in the Executive branch that serves as the guardian of Federal merit systems. One of the MSPB's primary statutory functions is to protect Federal merit systems against partisan political and other prohibited personnel practices by adjudicating employee appeals over which the Board has been given jurisdiction.