Whistleblower Protections under the Recovery Act

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, P.L. 111-5, provides explicit protections for certain individuals who make specified disclosures relating to funds covered by the Act in Division A, Title XV, section 1553, Protecting State and Local Government and Contractor Whistleblowers .

Specifically, the Act expressly prohibits any non-federal employer receiving covered funds (i.e., stimulus funds) from discharging, demoting, or otherwise discriminating against any employee as reprisal for that employee's disclosing to the Recovery Accountability and Transparency (RAAT) Board, an IG, the Comptroller General, a member of Congress, a state or federal regulatory or law enforcement agency, a person with supervisory authority over the employee, a court or grand jury, or the head of a federal agency or his/her representatives information that the employee believes is evidence of:

gross mismanagement of an agency contract or grant relating to covered funds;
a gross waste of covered funds;
a substantial and specific danger to public health or safety related to the implementation or use of covered funds;
an abuse of authority related to the implementation or use of covered funds; or
a violation of law, rule, or regulation related to an agency contract or grant awarded or issued relating to covered funds.

Any non-federal employer receiving covered funds is required to post notice of the rights and remedies provided under this section of the Act.

If you have a whistleblower protection complaint, report it to the OIG Hotline.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: Office of Inspector General

Whistleblower Protections under the Recovery Act